Advancing age had not tamed the spirit nor
weakened the frame of this leader among the Moslems.
Sailing through the Straits of Bonifacio, they touched Monte Cristo, a
small island where they found a slave who had formerly belonged to
Delizuff. This man was base enough to betray his own native island of Biba
into the hands of the corsairs, who sacked it thoroughly and carried off
its inhabitants; they also captured thirteen large ships going to Sicily
for wheat, and burnt them, making slaves of their crews. In the fight with
these vessels Delizuff was killed. Shortly after this, some disagreement
arising between the crews of the ships of Barbarossa and the men in
Delizuff's fleet, the Algerian commander seized a man out of one of
Delizuff's galleys and had him summarily shot. The death of Delizuff
naturally caused some confusion in his command, and the high-handed
proceeding of Kheyr-ed-Din caused great resentment, not unmixed with fear,
as the terror inspired by the Barbarossas was a very real sentiment. Under
their command no man knew when or at how short notice his life might not be
required of him; but the glamour of success was ever around them, and they
never, in consequence, lacked for followers. But the taking out and
shooting of one of their comrades was too much for the pirates from the
islands of Los Gelues, from whence Delizuff was in the habit of
"operating." In the words of Sandoval, "they were not used to such tyranny
and cruel usage.
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