![]() ![]() According to Milton, nearly 1 million Europeans passed through the markets of coastal towns like Sale, on the north coast of Morocco, where they were auctioned off to the highest bidder. In the early 1700s, the trade in European slaves was a booming business throughout North Africa, even though, in size and scope, it did not compare to Europe's own immensely profitable African slave trade. But the merchandise was a mere pittance compared to the real prize of the ship: its crew. ![]() ![]() Upon setting sail for home, the Francis was overtaken by a band of "fanatical corsairs of Barbary" who, in a "deranged fury," boarded the ship, overpowered its unarmed crew and seized its precious cargo of Italian wares meant for sale in England. Pellow's ship left Cornwall in 1715, carrying a cargo of salted pilchards to trade in Genoa. Based primarily on narratives published by freed or escaped slaves, White Gold recounts the story of Thomas Pellow, who at age 11 joined the crew of an English trading vessel, the Francis, as a cabin boy and merchant's apprentice. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |