It is here that we shall take leave of Kheyr-ed-Din Barbarossa, as although
he was yet to live another eight years before he died in his bed at
Constantinople in July, 1548, there are no further happenings of any great
importance in his career.
"Valorous, yet prudent, furious in attack, far-seeing in preparation, he
ranks as the first sea-captain of his time;"[1] as the story of his life
has unfolded itself in these pages we have seen what manner of man it was
who terrified Europe, who made for himself a reputation which stands out
clear and distinct among all the great men of which this century was so
prolific. One of the surest methods of estimating a strenuous man of action
is to seek for the names of those by whom he was surrounded: the men
selected by him to assist in the carrying out of the work of his life; thus
in reading of Napoleon Bonaparte we interest ourselves in his marshals, in
reading of Nelson we note the captains by whom he was supported. In the
case of Kheyr-ed-Din Barbarossa, a great man of action if one ever lived,
we find no trace of devoted adherents on that high plane of command we have
indicated in the cases cited above. That he had devoted followers enough is
absolutely certain, but of high officers we very seldom find a trace, and
these he treated with contumely and offence on many occasions; witness the
treatment meted out to Hassan and to Venalcadi. There is practically no
trace of his domestic life to be found, we cannot discover that he
possessed any intimate friend.
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