Page 196 - The Pirate Coast (By Sir Charles Belgrave)

having detained the pearls, hoping that it would be a lesson in
future, for his pearls might have fallen into hands not so likely to
deliver them to him or to his consignee’. At the same time, to
compensate them for the delay, Loch said that he would make no
charge for the freight.
‘if the merchant thought my conduct strange before, lie now
considered that 1 was quite mad! He had at first conceived that
I wished to keep the pearls’, in order to pocket the difference
between their real value and the invoice price. ‘But when lie
was convinced that lie had his parcel in his hands, and that I
declined to charge any freight, lie thought that there was some
trick!’
He broke open the sealed bundle of pearls, examined each one,
and then re-examined them, and counted carefully the pearls on
the strings. Then he sat musing for some time. At last, he ex­
claimed, ‘1 cannot understand this’. Once again, Bruce had to
explain why Loch had taken this action, which was in order to
make him and the other merchants more honest in future. After
pondering over this, all the merchant could say was: ‘It may be
so, but I don’t see how that can be accomplished.’
On February 3rd, Loch writes: ‘I this day received a letter from
a Gentleman attached to the Factory at Bassora informing me
that communications between it and Baghdad had been com­
pletely cut off in consequence of Arabs having come down the
Tigris in such force as to prevent any boat passing up or down, to
the great detriment of our trade.’ The letter added that Taylor
who was Resident at Basra, ‘had often stated his desire to have
some ships’ boats at his disposal for the purpose of opening com­
munications’. Loch, after discussing the matter with Bruce,
decided that it was his duty to go to Basra, ‘in order to be of
service as was in my power’.
River traffic between Basra and Baghdad was often interrupted,
usually owing to attacks on the Turks by Bedouin tribes. Some­
times it was due to quarrels among the Turks themselves who
engaged in civil wars. On one occasion, owing to disturbed
conditions, Taylor withdrew the British Residency from Basra
to Mohammerah. Another time Rich, in Baghdad, was be­
sieged in the Residency. In addition to local skirmishes and
guerilla warfare there was a state of war between Persia and
Turkey.
168