The
galley was analogous to the steam vessel in that it was independent of the
wind to a large extent: human bone and muscle supplied the part of engines,
and those who fought upon the sea caused themselves to be moved over the
face of the waters by the exertions of their enemies. It is true that upon
one occasion, as we have seen, Kheyred-Din Barbarossa did possess a fleet
of galleys the rowers of which were all Moslems, which crew upon battle
being joined dropped their oars, seized their weapons and assisted in the
conquest of the foe. But this was an isolated instance, as it was almost
impossible at any time and in any circumstances to procure free men ready
to undertake a life of such intolerable suffering as that of a rower on
board a galley; in consequence these men were almost invariably slaves, or
else in later times condemned felons whose judges had sent them to work out
their sentences upon the rowers' bench. The great characteristic of the
galley was her mobility, and in a comparative degree her speed, as for a
short burst, when her crew of rowers were fresh, their trained muscles were
capable of tremendous exertion; for any length of time, however, it is
obvious that her speed must have declined as the rowers became exhausted.
She was long, narrow, of extremely low freeboard, and slight depth of hold;
a galley of 125 feet between perpendiculars would perhaps be 180 feet over
all taking in the poop and the prow.
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