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HISTORY OF THE INDIAN XATY. 347

of the men-of-war, either of the King or Coinpan}', engaged in
keeping the police of the seas, as they were few in number, and
could not be ubiquitous. From the 26th of October, 1818, to
Januar}'- in the following year, the Company's cruisers, 'Thetis'
and ' Psyche,' met the Joasmis on the high seas no less than
seventeen times, sailing in divisions of from two to ten vessels,
and were constantly driving them from port to port, frequently
getting within range of them, but these dhows had so much the
advantage in sailing over the cruisers, that the latter were
rarely able to sink any of them.
In December, 1818, the Joasmi fleet, numbering fourteen
sail, were returning to the Gulf from their cruising station off
the Cutch and Kattywar coasts, when they were intercepted
by the ' Thetis' and ' Psyche,' off Ashtola* Island, on the
Beloochistan coast, proceeding to the westward in three
divisions. H.MS. 'Eden,' Captain Loch, was also, at this
time, proceeding to the Gtdf, when she fell in with the
two Company's cruisers, chasing this fleet off Gwetter Bay,
in which the pirates took shelter. The British ships re-
mained outside, and Captain Loch, contrary to the advice
of the commanders of the two brigs, oj)ened negotiations
with the chiefs of the hostile fleet. Time was to be given them
until morning, but when daylight broke the birds had flown
;
the Joasmis, taking advantage of the darkness of the night,
had weighed, and, standing round the bottom of the bay, which
is three leagues deep and five wide at the entrance, passed out
at the opposite end to where the liritish ships were anchored.
Captain Loch had only his obstinacy to thank for this failure,
as the commmanders of the Company's cruisers, having
a lengthened experience of the duplicity and cunning of these
Joasmis, had warned him that they would certainly play him
false. A little later the Hon. Company's brig-of-war,
'Antelope,' fourteen guns, fought a spirited action with the
Joasmis, upon whom she inflicted great loss.
At daybreak on the 21st of December, LSl.s. ihr Antidope,'
Lieutenant Tanner, descried a fleet, consisting of a full-rigged
ship, five large baghalahs, one dhow, and two of the largest-
sized batils. The men were sent to their quarters, and the
'Antelope, stood lor the fleet, upon which four of the baghalahs,
the dhow, and the batils, hauled in shore towards the Island of
Kishm. Directly after a boat left the side of the ship and
brought intelligence to the 'Antelope' that she was the
* Rahomany,' a ship of war belong to the Imanm of .Muscat, and
that she and the remaining baghalah had maintaintMl a running
fight for nearly two days with the pirates, and that, as their
* Ashtola, called also Haptalaii and SmiKadoop. is iiii inland oflf tlio Ueloorhi!<tan
coast, about 4,500 yards long and 1,200 broad. Ni'iu-cluis. who anchored oil' tliU
island, calls it Carmine.