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344 HISTORY OF THE INDIAN NAVY.
Linjah, on the Persian coast, and Luft, on the inside of the island
of Kishraah, are subject to their authority. Their force, if con-
centrated, would thus amount to at least one hundred vessels,
with perhaps four hundred pieces of cannon, and about eight
thousand fighting men, well armed with muskets, swords, and
spears. No circumstances are ever likely to bring these, however,
all together ; but on an invasion of their chief town, at Ras-ul-
Khymah, they could certainly command a large reinforcement
of Wahabees from the desert within ten or fifteen days notice.
The cannon and musketry of these pirates are chiefly procured
from the vessels which they capture ; but their swords, shields,
spears, and ammunition are mostly brought from Persia."
On returning to the 'Challenger,' Captain Bridges waited
until the hour of noon had passed, when a gun was fired, the
topsails sheeted home, and the signal made to prepare to weigh
anchor, though it was intended to allow another hour of grace
for the answer from the shore. In the meantime a boat arrived
with deputies from the chief, bringing a reply, in which he
stated the impossibility of restoring either the property
demanded, since that had long since been divided and consumed,
or paying the amount of its value in money, as this was more
than their whole present wealth ; he also peremptorily refused
to deliver up Ameer Ibrahim, who was his kinsman and near
friend, denying that this chief was guilty of anything which
deserved punishment in capturing, with the vessels under
his command, the persons and property of idolators and
strangers to the true God, The Wahabee chief offered to
send deputies to Bombay to treat on the affair, and it was
added, that as all things were of God, and deliberation might
possibl}^ accord better with his councils than hasty determi-
nation, he requested a delay until noon of the following day, in
order that he might know what Divine wisdom had decreed
should take place between them.
The letter of instruction from the Government of Bombay
had ordered that, on the refusal of the Joasmi chief to comply
with the requisitions therein stated, the squadron was to quit
the place, after signifying to him that he might expect the
displeasure of the British Government. As, however, it was
determined to allow him until the following noon to deliberate,
the squadron remained at anchor, until the wind having
freshened at sunset from the north-west, and a heavy swell
setting into the bay, it was deemed imprudent to continue at
anchor there during the night. The ships, therefore, weighed
in company and stood out to sea, the wind increasing to a gale
towards midnight.
The squadron lay at the anchorage off the island of Anjar,
on the opposite coast, during the whole of the night of the 2(5th,
until the strength of the north-west gale having abated, it