Page 136 - The Tigris Expedition

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came into the much worse area awaiting us off the eastern end of
Failaka.
Captain Igor had a walkie-talkie and spoke to his officer in charge
on Slavsk, who reported that their ship, with a total of six metres
draught, had ventured into four metres of water, but was now going
out to follow us as close as possible along the outer edge of the
shallows.
Very soon Slavsk reported on Igor’s walkie-talkie that their radar
showed us approaching the danger area with great speed. There was
a terrible current. The bottom mud whirled up around us from ever
deeper wave troughs.
Now a second dhow appeared from the direction of Kuwait.
While the crew of the first had looked like fishermen, this lot looked
like real bandits. They, too, kept at a good distance, and when
Rashad went over and explained our trouble they doubled the
price in Kuwaiti dinars and wanted the equivalent of two thousand
dollars. They did not yield a penny and let us know in plain words
that if we did not pay what they asked for they would get every­
thing the moment we went on the reefs we were heading for. Again
Igor was furious and refused to witness any deal with bandits who
wanted ransom. His angry gesticulations left no need for trans­
lation, and uninterested in further bargaining with me the new­
comers broke contact. The dhow picked up speed and left. The last
Rashad heard was a cynical warning shouted back at us: without
their help we would all be doomed.
We were all filled with contempt and anger. If Captain Igor
could have waded with his head above water I am sure he would
have jumped overboard and started to tow us himself. But for all
their strength and willingness the Russians could not make the
lifeboat pull more strongly, and we on Tigris had not yet dis­
covered how ancient mariners in these waters had been able to tack
into the wind.
Far ahead we saw the two dhows apparently anchored near the
dangerous reefs, waiting like jackals for our disaster. We began to
realise what awaited us next night if we ran aground. The pilot
book was evidently not unjustified in its warning.
We had to take the sail down. The Russian lifeboat anchored in
water barely six feet deep and we hung on together hoping for a
better wind. No sign of Slavsk.
The sun was slowly on its way down towards the horizon when a
third dhow appeared. The mast was cut down as on the other two,
and with a minimum draft and strong engine the crew were clearly
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