Page 277 - Records of Bahrain (2) (i)_Neat
P. 277

268                        Records of Bahrain


                                                            ( ( 2 )
                                tho fort, And warnod to romovorjtho wonion and oliildrcn from tho town to a
                                placo of safety, I mado proparationa for an attack ; but previous to doinr so
                                X got under woigh in the Clyde.; and proceeded to Malmrag Port, where wo
                                ran  tho boats in,' and demanded,. Mahomcd-bin-Khnlecfn, tho principal Pirnlo
                                Ohiof, whp was supposed, from information rcccivod, to bo coniinod in this fori.
                                Aftor a littlo. dolay, tho garrison, finding thomsolvcs completely surprised, sun
                                rondorod him up to us, and ho is now a prisoner on board this ship.
                                    At LiQutoiiuiit-Colonel Foiiy’a request, on tho morning of tho 22nd, I
                                again roturnod to Manamah Fort, and opened fire with shot and shell, which
                                continued at intervals during .tho day, thus expelling from thence ono of llio
                                Pirate Chiefs.
                                    Tho next morning tho boats were sent away for the purposo of expelling tho
                                saino Chief, from a house near the beach, who had been driven out of tho fort tho
                                previous day, but they got aground owing to tho fault of tho pilot, and had lo
                                return to tho gun-boat. Nnzir-bin-Ahmed, ono of tho pirate confederates,
                                was suipriaed at sea, endeavouring to escape, by a pearl morchant of tbo placo
                                and delivered up to us.
                                    As it now coramoncod to blow heavily from tho N. "W., I steamed out
                                from tho shore, tho wcathor putting a stop to all operations till tho morning
                                of tho 28th, when wo again oponed firo on Manamah Fort with our 64-pounder
                                and.. Clyde's 10-inch gun, with a view of rendering it untenable. In the
                                mean timo tbo boats had been sent away to capture and/destroy two piratical
                                dlinws which had brokon tbo blockade.
                                    After some hours of heavy firing a largo breach was mado in tho fort, and
                                as the Nymphe was soon coming in, it was agreed that a landing should take,
                                placo during the night; accordingly, at about midnight our forco landed, con­
                                sisting of Lieutenant-Colonel Pclly and myself, and 62 oflicors and men from
                                this ship, .VL from the Nymphe, and 23 from tho Gun-boat Clyde, making
                                a total of 139 olhcors and men. On ontoring tho fort it was found to havo boon
                                abandoned, and therefore occupied by us without opposition, aftor which tho
   1                            small-arm mon and boats roturnod to their respective gun-boats.
                                   Tho next morning wo proceeded tp finish tho operation, in tho process of
                                which it became necessary to mine and blow up a towor. Ou this occasion I
                                sustained an injury to my right arm and both knees.
                                   The fort of Manamah having now been destroyed, wo procoedod, on tho
                                morning of the 1st December, to attack tho Fort of Mahar&g, but on landing
                                our men it was given up to us by tbo garrison without tho necessity of firing a
                                shot, and soon afterwards tlirco of tho principal chiofs, Mahomca-bin-Abdool,
                                Ali-bin-Nausa, and Jason-biii-IIassan, surrendered themselves to us.
                                   On tho afternoon of tho 2nd instant, Esau-bin-Xli, hereditary chief, who
                                had previously been in communication with Licutouant-Coloncl Felly and
                                myself, arrivod, accompanied by a.very largo numbor of armed followers, and
                                aftor all the necessary preliminaries had been gono through, ho was placed m
                                powor, and the fort delivered ovor to him, which ho proceeded to occupy; n
                                tho samo timo marching .his men "into tho town, where ho was received wiu
                                much rejoicing.                  %
                                   As far as wo could ascertain, tho number of tbo enemy killod at tho attack
                               on .tho Fort of Manamah on tho 22nd Novombor was 7, and about 10 wouik e» .
                                   Five of tho principal Pirate (ihiofs are now prisoners on board, and will 0
                                falcon to Bombay.                                              .
                                   Tbo most porfect harmony oxisted botwoon mysolf and Lioutonant-Co one
                                Pclly in carrying out thiso important duties,' and it affords mo much I)lcns,3g 0f
                                informing you that our most aanguino expectations, regarding tho auccc  side,
                                this expedition hayo boon more than: realized, without loas of-life on   our
                                and with so littlo on tho part of tho onomy.                .   .
                                   • In conclusion, I dosiro to express’ my ontiro satisfaction with tho 7.cfi ^
                               .and ohooi'ful manner in which tho Ofilcors and mon, not only of






  L
   272   273   274   275   276   277   278   279   280   281   282