Introduction
It may seem quaint that Cornish villagers ran home to lock up their daughters when they heard of shipwrecked sailors on the beach. But this was 1760, when everyone was braced for a French invasion in the Seven Years’ War, and when Algiers was the centre of a miserable human-trafficking industry which specialised in ‘goods’ from Christian Europe.
IN the small hours of 30th September, 1760, Penzance was woken by the firing of guns, and news spread that a large and unusual ship had run aground near Newlyn. A crowd gathered in the grey dawn, fearing to see a French fleet massing in the Channel.
What they saw on the beach was a band of fearsome-looking men in baggy trousers, each with a red fez on his head, a brace of pistols in his belt, and a cruelly-curved sword at his side. The townsfolk took one look and changed their cry: the Turks were come to make slaves of them, and take their daughters for a sultan’s harem.
The army was called out, and magistrates were woken up. Fortunately, the men proved to be the crew of only a single Algerian pirate-ship, which had missed its way when bound for Cadiz. Curious but still distrustful, the townsfolk were glad to see their exotic guests loaded aboard a man-of-war, and returned to Algiers.*
For more about the human-trafficking industry in the 16th-18th centuries, see The Bombardment of Algiers
Précis
England’s south coast was on high alert in 1760 against a French invasion and Algerian people-traffickers. So when news came of a shipwrecked vessel at Penzance, finding Algerian pirates was not much better than finding French soldiers. However, the ship was alone, and had simply run far off course, and the crew was packed off back to Algiers. (58 / 60 words)
England’s south coast was on high alert in 1760 against a French invasion and Algerian people-traffickers. So when news came of a shipwrecked vessel at Penzance, finding Algerian pirates was not much better than finding French soldiers. However, the ship was alone, and had simply run far off course, and the crew was packed off back to Algiers.
Variations: 1.increase the length of this precis to exactly 65 words. 2.reduce the length of this precis to exactly 55 words. 3.introduce one of the following words into the precis: about, because, despite, if, just, otherwise, whether, who.
Archive
Word Games
Sevens Based on this passage
Suggest answers to this question. See if you can limit one answer to exactly seven words.
Variations: 1.expand your answer to exactly fourteen words. 2.expand your answer further, to exactly twenty-one words. 3.include one of the following words in your answer: if, but, despite, because, (al)though, unless.
Jigsaws Based on this passage
Express the ideas below in a single sentence, using different words as much as possible. Do not be satisfied with the first answer you think of; think of several, and choose the best.
Spinners Find in Think and Speak
For each group of words, compose a sentence that uses all three. You can use any form of the word: for example, cat → cats, go → went, or quick → quickly, though neigh → neighbour is stretching it a bit.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
1 Beach. Bind. Spread.
2 Bound. See. Ship.
3 Guest. Only. Slave.
Variations: 1. include direct and indirect speech 2. include one or more of these words: although, because, despite, either/or, if, unless, until, when, whether, which, who 3. use negatives (not, isn’t, neither/nor, never, nobody etc.)
High Tiles Find in Think and Speak
Make words (three letters or more) from the seven letters showing below, using any letter once only. Each letter carries a score. What is the highest-scoring word you can make?
Your Words ()
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