Page 89 - The Pirate Coast (By Sir Charles Belgrave)

with a fit of ague, until he was routed out by some of the mis­
chievous youngsters’. When two prizes were taken and the '
pirates on board them could not be found, he volunteered his
services, and buckled himself on to one of the ship’s cutlasses then,
with a pistol in each hand, he went on board the pirate boat,
which Old Moffath had already taken possession of.
Adey left the ship at Bushire. He and a Jewish family who
had also been passengers in the Eden stayed in the same caravan-
sarai. Business took the Jew to Basra and he asked Adey to look
after his goods during his absence. One night there were sud­
denly cries of ‘Murder! Thieves! Ruin!’ from Adey’s room.
There was a scene like one from Gil Bias. People rushed from
their rooms, half asleep, with lights in their hands. Others peered
from half-open doors, holding lights above them, to see what was
happening outside, and some plunged about, half-naked, among
the bales and merchandise in the courtyard.
Adey was discovered, apparently in a state of misery, declaring
that his room had been broken into by robbers who had opened
some of the chests belonging to his dear friend, the Jewish mer­
chant, and had stolen many of the contents. He described min­
utely many of the goods which he said had been stolen, and the
question was how was he able to describe in detail the contents
of the chests which had not been opened and which he had had
no opportunity of seeing? It was revealed that a few days before
the ‘theft’, Adey had obtained a number of keys from the owner
of the caravansarai, on the excuse that he had lost his own. It
was quite obvious who was the thief. The affair was dealt with
by the Shaikh of Bushire in a summary way, and Adey was very
lucky to get off as best he could.
When the Eden sailed, Adey was left at Bushire, but some time
later, when Loch went to Basra, the first person to greet him was
the Little Greek’, who was again involved in horse dealing. He
at once offered to buy a horse for Loch, but Loch did not fall
for this.
Towards the end of his time in the Gulf, Loch met Adey again
at Cochin on the west coast of India. Adey had somehow ob­
tained the post of superintending the building of some ships for
the Bombay Government, and he persuaded Loch to take home
with him in the Eden a wooden chair which was supposed to have
been made from timber which Adey had recovered from the
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