When he approached the city, he was met by Eu temi, accompanied by all the inhabitants, who hailed him as their deliverer with acclamations of triumph and joy. One of the most splendid apartments in the palace was allotted him lor his lodging ; he was treated the most distinguished honour ; and his ambition, in flamed by such flattering attention, aspired to the sovereignty of the country which he had been invited to protect. To facilitate his elevation to that dignity, he murdered prince Eutemi, his hospitable entertainer, and rode along the streets surrounded by his soldiers, who exclaimed as they proceeded, " Long live king Home Barbarossa, the invincible king of Algiers, the chosen of God to deliver the people from the oppression of the Christians ; and destruction to all that shall oppose, or refuse to own him as their lawful sovereign." Over awed by the menace which these words contained, the Algerines acknowledged him as their king ; while Za phira, the unhappy widow of Eutemi, to avoid the brutality of his murderer, whom she unsuccessfully at tempted to stab, put an end to her own existence by poi son.
Barbarossa exercised with relentless cruelty the power which he had thus violently usurped. Impatient of his tyranny, the Algerines formed a plot for his des truction ; but having detected their design, he ordered twenty of the principal conspirators to be beheaded, their bodies to be buried in a dunghill, and their estates to be confiscated. This severity so terrified his new subjects, that they never again formed any similar design, either against him or his successors.
The son of Eutemi had lied for protection to the mar quis of Gomarez, who was, at that time, governor of Oran ; and, burning with revenge against the savage Barbarossa, suggested to the marquis a plan, by which the city of Algiers might be put into the hands of the Spaniards. Gomarez sent the young prince to Spain to lay his plan before the cardinal Ximenes, vvho, deeming it practicable, despatched a fleet with 10,000 land force, to drive the Turks out of Algiers, and restore young Se lim to the throne. Scarcely had the fleet conic within sight of land, when it was dispersed by a storm, which drove the greater part of the ships against the rocks ; most of the Spaniards perished amid the waves, and the few who reached the shore were either killed by the Turks, or detained as slaves. The insolence of Barba rossa, who regarded this storm as an immediate inter position of Heaven for the establishment of his authority, now exceeded all bounds ; and the Arabians, alarmed by his ambition and his success, entreated Ilamidel Ab des, king of Tenez, to assist them in expelling the Turks out of Algiers. Hamidcl having first stipulated. that, in of lii. success, he should obtain the perpetual so vereignty ol that country for himself and his descendants, set out at the head or 10,000 Moors ; and when lie en tered the Algcrine territory, was joined by all the Arabs With only 1000 Turkish musque teers, and 500 Granada Moors, Barbarossa completely routed this numerous army, pursued flamidel to the gates of his capital, which lie took by assault, and obliged the inhabitants to acknowledge him as sove reign. immediately after this conquest, he received an embassy from the inhabitants ol Tremecen, offering- even to make him their sovereign if he would assist them in expelling the reigning prince, with whom they were displeased, on account of his having dethroned his ne phew, and obliged him to flee to Oran. Such an invit ing opportunity of enlarging his dominions was eagerly embraced by the ambitious Barbarossa. His artillery
enabled him easily to disperse the army of the king of 'Iremecen, who being forced to retire to his capital, was betrayed by his disaffected subjects ; his head was cut off, and sent to Barbarossa, w ith a fresh invitation to take possession of the sovereignty. It was not long before the Trcmccenians had reason to regret the loss of their former monarch. The tyranny of Barbarossa excited general discontent among his new subjects, which they were at little pains to conceal ; and he himself, appre hensive of a revolt, endeav °tired to give stability to his throne, by entering into an alliance with the king of Fez, and by garrisoning with his own troops all the cities in the kingdom. Nuts ithstanding his precautions, some of these cities rose in rebellion ; upon which he employed Escander, a man relentless and unprincipled as himself, to reduce them again to subjection. Exasperated be yond measure by their united cruelties, the Tremece Mans now formed schemes for the expulsion of Barba rossa from their dominions, and for the restitution of their lawful prince Abuchen-Men : but their designs were discovered, and many of their conspirators murdered in the cruellest manner. Fortunately the prince escaped to Oran, and placed himself under the protection of the marquis of Gomarez, who represented his case to his sovereign Charles V. then lately arrived in Spain. Charles immediately ordered the marquis to undertake the cause of the young king with an army of 10,000 men, and Go marcz began his march without delay. Being joined by prince Selim with a great number of Arabs and Moors, they first resolved to attack the important fortress of Calau, situated between Tremecen and Algiers, and by Escander with about 300 Turks. After a vigorous defence, they were compelled to surrender ; and though they stipulated for honourable terms, were all massacred by the Arabs, except sixteen, who clung close to t he stirrups of the Spanish general and the king. All this time Barbarossa had kept close in his capital ; but, being now alarmed by the progress of his enemies, xvho were marching directly towards Tremecen, lie ad vanced to meet them at the head of 1500 Turks, and 5000 Moorish horse. He had not proceeded far when his council advised him to return and fortify himself in the city. But it was now too late ; for the inhabitants, resolved to rid themselves of his tyranny, would not open their gates till their law ful prince appeared before them. Barbarossa had now no other resource but to retire to the citadel, and there wait an opportunity to escape. For some time he defended himself vigorously ; and it was not till his provisions began to fail, that he stole away secretly with his immense treasures through a subter rareous passage, which he had previously caused to be (lug for that purpose. When his flight was discovered, he hoped to retard the pursuit of his enemies, by strew ing money, jewels, and plate, in their way : but the stratagem failed ; for Goniarez, placing himself at the head of his troops, obliged them to march on till they overtook the tyrant on the banks of the I lurxda, about eight leagues distant from Tremecen. The Turks fought with obstinate valour, but were soon overpower ed by numbers, and cut to peices. Barbarossa himself was slain while fighting with all the fury of despair ; his head was fixed on the point of a spear, and carried to Tremecen, where Abuchen-Men was proclaimed king to the great joy of the inhabitants.