Page 453 - Arabian Gulf Intellegence

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UTTOOBEES. 409

that he had no intention to molest them,—that lie was merely in search
of the boats of the A1 Ali, whom he wished to encounter,—that their
fears were in any way relieved. To effect his purpose, he sailed to
Biddah in quest of Esai bin Tarif, but finding his enemy on the alert, and
well able to resist, he returned to the neighbourhood of Bahrein, with­
out attacking him. Shaikh Mahomed bin Khaleefa, when he heard of
his arrival, sent a deputation of the principal merchants in the island to
invite him ashore, and welcome him home : the reply, however, sent by the
haughty Abdoolla, that he required the fort of Muharag to be restored to
him, together with other demands of a most preposterous character, pre­
cluding all hopes of a meeting being effected between himself and his
relative, he quitted the place, and sailed to Kateef, whence, after des­
patching one of his sons on a friendly mission to the Wahabce Ameer,
and the seizure of two small vessels on the Dabil Shoal, he retraced his
steps to Nabcnd. The above seizure, although it took place within the
war limits of the restrictive line, and its legality was therefore not to be
questioned, from the peculiar position of the ex-chief on Persian soil, it
soon became manifest that Mahomed bin Khaleefa would be subjected
to a series of attacks and annoyances from his rival, without being able
to retaliate ; for the latter, at perfect liberty to carry on hostilities with­
in the restrictive line, would be constantly lying in wait for favourable
opportunities to annoy the people of Bahrein, and, ere the injured
parlies could take steps for effecting reprisals, would make good his
escape beyond the limits of lawful warfare. It was highly necessary,
therefore, to place matters upon a more equitable footing, and this could
only be done in two ways,—either by effectually restraining the ex-
chief so long as he resided on the Coast of Persia, or by suspending the
operation of the restrictive line, and permitting the Shaikh of Bahrein
to pursue and attack Abdoolla bin Ahmed wheresoever he met him.
The former mode had been already adopted towards Esai bin Tarif,
Chief of the A1 Ali, who, when located on the island of Kenn, had sought
to disturb the people and dependents of Abdoolla bin Ahmed at the time
he was Shaikh of Bahrein; but the isolated position of Kenn, and the
ease with which our British cruisers could approach the place, rendered
it a matter of no difficulty to bring Esai bin Tarif to an immediate account,
should he refuse to refrain from hostilities ; whereas, in the case of the
port of Nabend, which was difficult of access, unsheltered from the pre­
vailing winds, and formed part and parcel of the main land of Persia,
there would be no way of punishing the offender save by a recourse to
blockade, or to a direct aggression upon Persian territory, by destroying
his vessels, drawn up on the beach. The Resident therefore determined,
in the event of a complaint being preferred by the Shaikh of Bahrein, and
exhortation failing to restrain the ex-chief, to adopt the latter mode of