Page 159 - The Pirate Coast (By Sir Charles Belgrave)

Pirate Coast. It stood on a narrow isthmus running northeast,
some three or four miles in length and less than a mile wide, with
the open sea on one side and on the other side, a creek which
provided safe anchorage for dhows. On the sea side, it was pro­
tected by a long sand bank like a breakwater enclosing a strip of
deep water, where light dhows could anchor close below the
town walls. At the mouth of the creek there was a bar only
passable at high tide; the tide rose and fell about six feet. Large
ships, such as the Liverpool, had to lie in the open roadstead, where
they were exposed to the full force of the northeast wind, which
blows fiercely in the winter and causes heavy seas.
The town had a sea frontage of about half a mile, and a depth
of a quarter of a mile. The walls, which had been rebuilt since
the 1809 expedition, had crenellated towers at intervals, on which
cannon, taken from captured ships, were mounted. The towers
were connected with the walls by parapets, giving access to all
parts of the battlements. The walls were made of coral stone
and mud, and were as much as fifteen feet wide at the base,
narrowing towards the top. On the land side, the walls extended
to the edge of the creek, with strong towers at each corner. In
the centre of this wall was the town gate, defended by two square
towers. The citadel, a high, massive building made of stone,
faced the gate. In the centre of the town, there was another
large, round tower surrounded by a high wall which enclosed an
open square. The principal houses were of stone, but there were
many barastis as well.
The vicinity of the town was flat and sandy, with date groves
towards the east. The coastal plain extended inland for some
miles, to a range of limestone mountains, rising to a height of
several thousand feet, with sharp, jagged summits. As Loch says,
‘to say the least of it, Ras al Khaima was no mean or insignificant
work of defence*. It was a very tough proposition for a landing
party.
The expedition was the most powerful force that had ever
appeared in the Gulf, larger and more effective than the expedition
sent against the pirates in 1809. The troops consisted of about
3,000 fighting men, of whom i,6oo were Europeans, from the
47th and 65 th Regiments, with a company of artillery. There
were three British naval ships, H.M.S. Liverpool, H.M.S. Curlew,
and the Eden, nine cruisers of the British East India Company, and
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