Page 51 - The Pirate Coast (By Sir Charles Belgrave)

of identification was a poor one.and, later in the day, it led to
much confusion.
After the fall of the town, as at Ras al Khaima, information was
received that a large force of Wahabis was approaching. Colonel
Smith formed up the troops on the shore with the Sultan’s men
on one flank. While this was being done, the Muscat cavalry,
who had pursued some of the pirates inland, returned in disorder,
closely followed by the enemy. In the melee which ensued,
many of the Sultan’s troops were killed by shots from the British
batteries which opened fire, believing them to be the enemy.
Colonel Smith refused to advance inland when asked by the Sultan
to do so, because he had no cavalry, and his orders were to confine
his attacks to pirate towns. The British and Indian troops then
embarked in their ships, which were lying off the town.
Soon the Wahabis appeared on the shore, led by Mutlaq al
Mutairi, one of the most famous Wahabi generals. As Maurizi
says: ‘that brave, though ferocious chief no sooner perceived the
departure of the British than, like a lion thirsting for its prey, he
fell upon the affrighted Muscatis. The battle, or rather the
massacre, which took place under our eyes, lasted for about two
hours, at the end of which time, Saiyid Said saw his army
completely ruined.’
Maurizi was in a gunboat off the shore, attempting to protect
the troops, and he describes how the sea was full of drowning
men, who were trying to escape from the Wahabis. So many
of them climbed into his boat that he had to force them back into
the water to prevent the overloaded gunboat from sinking. Pro­
bably many of the Sultan’s troops were inland Arabs who, unlike
the men from the coast, would not know how to swim. The
English watched the rout from their ships and were ‘astonished
at the cowardice of their allies’. Maurizi’s strictures arc unfair,
for the English were secure in their ships, and safe from the fate
which befell the Muscatis. The Sultan and the survivors of his
army succeeded in reaching their ships.
Next morning Mutlaq, bearing a white flag, mounted on a
horse, appeared on the shore, and there was a discussion between
him and the English about a treaty, but no agreement was made.
Maurizi says that Mutlaq offered to refrain from molesting British
ships if the British withdrew their support from the Sultan.
Maurizi was ‘much surprised at the civility with which Mutlaq
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