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224 HISTORY OF THE INDIAN NAVY.
municated to the chief the fact of a quantity having been sunk
near the island of Kenn, and of their knowing the exact spot,
by bearings on shore. 1'hey offered, therefore, to purchase their
own liberty by a recovery of this treasure for their captors, and
a bargain was solemnly struck to the mutual satisfaction of both
parties. They soon sailed for the spot, accompanied hy divers
accustomed to that occupation on the pearl banks of Bahrein, who,
on anchoring at the precise points of bearings taken, commenced
their labotn-s. The first divers who went down were so suc-
cessful that all the crew followed in their turn, so that the vessel
was at one time almost entirely abandoned as she lay at anchor.
As the Arab crew were also busily occupied in their golden
harvest, the moment appeared favourable to escape ; and the
still captive Englishmen were already at their stations to over-
power the few on board, cut the cable, and make sail, when their
motions were either seen or suspected, and the scheme was
thus frustrated. They were now given their liberty as
promised, and were landed on the island of Kenn, where, how-
ever, no means oflered for their immediate escape. The pirates
having, at the same time, themselves landed on the island,
commenced a general massacre of the inhabitants, in which
their released prisoners, fearing the_y might be included, fled for
shelter to clefts and hiding-places in the rocks. During their
refuge here they lived on such food as chance threw in their
way, going out under cover of the night to steal a goat and drag
it to their haunts. When the pirates had, at length, completed
their work of blood, and either murdered or driven off every
former inhabitant of the island, they quitted it with the treasure
which they had thus collected from the sea and shore.
The Englishmen now ventured to come out of their hiding-
places, but had no means for effecting their escape, until good for-
tune, inamomentof despair, threwintheir way the wreck of a boat
which was still capable of repair; in searching about the now
deserted village, other materials were found, and also sufficient
planks and logs of wood for the construction of a raft. These
were both completed in a few days, and the party embarked for
the Persian shore. The boat was lost in the attempt to cross
the channel and all on board perished, but the raft, with the
remainder of the party, reached land in safety. As the packet
of Government despatches had been found only to contain papers,
which the Arabs neither understood nor valued, it had con-
stantly'' remained in the possession of the unfortunate suflerers,
who contrived to guard it with almost religious zeal.
On gaining the mainland, they set out on foot for Bushire,
following the line of coast for the sake of the villages and water
;
in this they are said to have suffered incredible hardships and
privations of every kind. No one knew the language of the
country, which was a terra incognita to them ; they were almost