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ho determined to defend Bushire to the last extremity and if ultimately
obliged to evnquato tho town to destroy it by fire, and embark on Board
of ono of his Dows for that island; but my principle motive for wishing to
remove Oarraok was that a greater expenditure for donations would probably
incurred if Saikh Khunnum’s opponent took tho place, than by my withdrawing
from it as I intondod, till the storm of faction had at least a little subsided.
Accordingly I bad hired a large dow and oxported almost the whole of the
Hon’blo Company’s and my private property on hoard of her with an English
Flag and intended tho next morning to have embarked myself; but in the
interim Shaikh Nasser with the fleet of Benee Attaba Arabs infested the place
by sea and we became completely blockaded. Tho first boat of this fleet being
considerably ahead of the rest behaved in a vory hostile manner to the dow
waiting to re6eive me by boarding her, striking tho English Flag and plundering
her of several articles, but on a representation of this conduct to Sliaik Salem
in command of tho boats he expressed great contrition for what had
happened and made the aggressor to return his booty except 2 bags of tin
the property of the ETon’ble Company and four or five bags of rice my
private property which were lost overboard or destroyed in his precipitation
to accomplish his iuimical designs before the arrival of the rest of the
Fleet. The Benee Attabs having previously taken Carrack and delivered
to Shaikh Nasser, I was obliged to relinquish every thought of retiring thither
and his illiberal, and pusillanimous jealously made him adverse to the plan, I
therefore again landed everything from the dow except the tin and rice,
having disposed of the former to be delivered (every previous risk and
expence on account of the Hon’ble Company) to the purchaser at Bussora and
the latter amounting to 130 gunnies Shaik Salem requested me not to land
alleging, it was his and to Shaik Nasser’s determination that no provision
should be imported while they were beseiging the place, therefore I was
obliged not only to pay the freight of it to Bussorah but must lose considerable
by its sale. Your Hon’ble Board will I hope consider that I undergo enough
in other respects in these disturbances without allowing me to suffer the
loss of my private property and hard earned subsistence, and altho’ I have
never received, solicited or expect, your favour you will surely not refuse
the grant what justice demands. But the return to the event of the
contest after sustaining a siege for five days, and obliged to drink water
little better than the sea on the night of the 20th, the enemy were disposed
by the great guns of an entrenchment they had thrown up before the place.
Sliaik Khaunnum attacked a small party and took possession of their works.
They were howover, soon after attacked and in their to obliged to
retreat. A reinforcement was sent out to support the fugitives, but the contest
become so unequal in numbers that they were also obliged to fly and being
pursued to the walls of the Town some disaffected person in charge of one or
the gates, threw it open, and both parties enterod indiscriminately altogether^
such a panic immediately seized the garrison Shaik Khaunnum after every
ineffectual exertion in which he displayed great courage, actively and per­
suasion to make their men sally and recover their loss was obliged to save
himself by flight, and -the conquerors plundered the town till the morning.
Scarcely a house escaped being stripped and it was with greatest difficulty
with the Residency sepoys and my own threats that I fustrated the
several attempts made upon this old ruin, inviting cn every side an easy access.