Page 75 - The Pirate Coast (By Sir Charles Belgrave)

pirate vessels. Almost as soon as the boats were lowered and
ready to start, the wind came up again, so the boats were hoisted
back and the chase continued. But by this time the pirates were
so far away that only half of their sails were visible above the
horizon, and by midnight sight of them was lost. The prize,
which was being towed by the Psyche, then sprang a leak and had
to be sunk.
Next day was spent anchored off the Makran coast, to give the
officers and men an opportunity of celebrating Christmas ‘which
is customary in the Navy, they having been cheated of it, owing
to the chase of the batils’. This part of the coast was under the
control of Muscat whose Sultan, Sayyed Said, was at war with
the pirates and had consistently supported the British in their
efforts to suppress them. But in spite of this, the Makran coast
was much frequented by pirates who obtained water and supplies
from the coast villages and towns whose people were afraid of
refusing to help them.
At daylight on the 28th, seven pirate ships were sighted, three
of them being in tow. At first, the pirates mistook the Eden for
a merchant vessel and they began to close in on her. They were
soon undeceived and made all sail to escape, towing their captured
dhows. The wind was light and baffling, so that, at one time,
the pirates seemed to be getting away. They were using their
oars, each one pulled by four men, as well as sails over which
they threw water to fill the pores of the canvas so as to catch every
breath of wind. The wind constantly changed, first blowing
gently, then subsiding and rising again. Sometimes the pirates
were able to take advantage of it, and sometimes it favoured the
Eden.
The pursuit continued throughout the day, and it was not until
sunset that the Eden closed with the sternmost pirate, a large
baggalow’. She was towing a captured dhow which she promptly
cut adrift. The Eden ran close past the abandoned dhow, and
continued in chase of the next ship ahead. Baggalas were big
ships, sometimes over 300 tons, with high, square tower-like
poops, and elaborately carved sterns, with rows of square ports
fancifully decorated. They had curved prows, and two tall
masts raking forward, which carried their enormous sails. ‘Booms’
which were also used by pirates, were ships of a similar type, but
their characteristic feature was their long, straight stemposts.
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