Page 167 - The Pirate Coast (By Sir Charles Belgrave)

buildings which were too far from the shore to be used by the
arrison, which was to be left at Ras al Kliaima. The Shaikh’s
£ louse and the adjoining buildings were to be prepared for occu­
pation by the troops. The fort, which had been mined, was
demolished on the 13 th, and on the same day, the Eden sailed for
Kishm to replenish her supply of water. Some days previously,
when she had attempted to get close to the shore, she had discarded
almost all her water, to lighten the ship.
During Loch’s absence, the Liverpool and two cruisers carried
out an attack on Zaya; later they destroyed a number of pirate
vessels and some of the fortifications in other smaller Pirate Coast
towns, including Umm al Qaiwain, Ajman, Sharja and Dubai.
Zaya was a pirate town about twelve miles north-east of Ras al
Khaima, where the Shaikh, Hassan bin Ali, was holding out with
a considerable force. The town was on a creek, surrounded by
date groves, and defended by a fortress on the top of a high
precipitous cliff which was thought by the Arabs to be impreg­
nable. Owing to the height of the fortress from the ground, the
attackers had some difficulty in getting the guns trained on to it.
After a stout defence, the fort surrendered on December 22nd;
an Indian boy, who had escaped from the pirates, had reported
that the defenders would have surrendered before, but the Shaikh
kept on fighting and was finally reduced to firing the guns him­
self. The Eden arrived at Zaya on Christmas Eve, having re­
turned from Kishm, and two days later she sailed for Ras al
Khaima in company with the Liverpool.
Back in Ras al Khaima, Loch found that, as a result of negotia­
tions with various pirate chiefs, and owing to the fall of Zaya,
their last real stronghold, the pirate Shaikhs had offered to ‘abstain
from all further hostilities, and to give up their former life of
piracy’, on condition that their lives, and their people’s lives
should be spared. As their vessels, strongholds and supplies were
now in the hands of the British, this demand was acceded to.
Hassan bin Rahmah, Shaikh of the Joasmi, then came to the
General to discuss terms; Loch was present at the meeting.
Hassan bin Rahmah, whose very name a few months previ­
ously instilled terror in the minds of those throughout the Gulph,
now came to the General, suing for peace and mercy, and a sad
sight it was to see this haughty, bold chief, obliged to make his
obeisance, broken and defeated. This person’s appearance was
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