Page 373 - INDIANNAVYV1

—
HISTORY OF THE INDIAN NAVY. 341
pepper them with grape and canister, and if we could only have
had two hours more daylight, we should have given a better
account of them. At dusk, the chief of Ras-ul-Khymah, who
was in command, burnt a blue light and stood over to the
Arabian coast with the remainder of his fleet. Captain Jeakes
thanked me on the quarter-deck for my management of the
baghalah, which would have been a great prize to them. On our
arrival at Muscat, the Imaum presented Captain Jeakes with a
valuable sword and Arab horse, whicli became a great favourite
with the sailors."
Soon after this action the Jnasmis chased and fired at the
American ship ' Persia ;' they also attacked the ' Macaulay,' and
overhauled a French schooner bound from Mauritius to Bussorah,
sailing under convoy of a ship of that nation, and, in broad
daylight, took out of her much treasure, coolly informing the
captain on his remonstrating, that had the crew been English
all their throats would certainly have been cut. So great was
now the dread entertained of the Joasmis that ]\Ir. Bruce
could not obtain a vessel to convey to Ras-ul-Khymah a letter
of remonstrance to the chief in regard to these depredations.
A few weeks later several other captures took place, including a
ship, name unknown, under English colours, from Pulo Penang,
which was taken by five dhows full of pirates, who murdered
all the crew and passengers.* In the same year four
ships sailing from the port of Surat bound to Mocha, uiuler
British colours, were taken in the Arabian Gulf by a Joasmi
squadron under their Admiral, Ameer Ibrahim, and the crews
w^ere almost all murdered. The loss of property was estimated
at over ten lacs of rupees, and many other captures were
made of vessels sailing under our protection, attended by similar
acts of atrocity. Nevertheless the retaliatory measures of the
Govermnent were limited to remonstrances— for it will scarcely
be credited that the commanders of the cruisers were instructLnl
not " to sink, burn, or destroy " the piratical craft whenever
met with, but to avoid firing on them until their hostile intent
was n)ade apparent—and to the disposal of the cruisers for the
* A Bombay letter, speaking of the Joasmi metliocl of captu:-:ng ships, says :
"It depends solely in boarding ; with the best mode of otlecting wliich they are
acquainted, and for which purpose tliey approach the stern of the vessels, and if
not opposed by guns in that quarter, and by boarding nets, they board anu over-
power the vessels by numbers of men. The best precautions, therefore, which
can be used by our merchant vessels, are stern cliasers loaded wit!i grape-shot,
boarding nets and musketry, which, in addition to its own charge, sliould receive
two or three pistol balls over the ball-cartridge. These merciless freebooters, wo
understand, inquired with a savage anxiety, if tliere were any Europeans on board
' Deriah Dowlut,' whom they would immediately have massacred; and tho
the
manner in which they murdered the crew of that vessel, was by placing the
necks of the unfortunate men over the gunnel of tluur vessel, whom they required
to repeat the leading verse of the Koran, and as soon as tliey came to tiio inirt
which dill'ered from the tenets of the Waliabce sect, it was the signal for execu-
tion, and the head was instantly severed from tho body."