 One of a few handpicked by the Dey, Cathcart’s first duties were to work in the Dey’s palace garden caring for the lions, tigers, and antelopes.Although his assigned duties were relatively light, his masters provided scant food and administered several beatings, called bastinado, where in one instance Cathcart lost several of his toenails.As his fortunes and positions in Algiers improved, Cathcart acquired additional skills that he used later as a diplomat.