"تاريخ البحرية الهندية. (١٦١٣- ١٨٦٣)." [‎١‎٨] (٦٢٢/٣٧)

18
HISTORY OF THE INDIAN NAVY.
received with tokens of respect by the lawless population, who,
unlike their Joasmi neighbours, not having experienced the
dire effects of British resentment, had grown aggressive,
and made light of the remonstrances of the Political Agent at
Bu shire.
In 1834 the Persian Gulf Squadron, which was kept at a
strength of four or five cruisers, consisted of only the 4 Amherst'
and 4 Elphinstone.' Taking advantage of this weakness, the
people of Abu Thubi, under the leadership of a new and lawless
chief, embarked on a course of open piracy; and their first act was
to attack a vessel from Muttra, and plunder her of property to
the amount of one thousand dollars. The Sheikh of Abu
Thubi, Khaleefa bin Shakboot, who had attained power by the
true Bedouin method of murdering his brother, Tahnoon,
failed to afford redress in compliance with the demands of the
British Political Resident, until he was made aware, by the
appearance of a vessel of war off his port, of the determination
to enforce it. The predatory spirit which had from time to
time evinced itself on the part of the different Arab tribes, by the
occasional plunder of individual vessels, for which satisfaction
and ample reparation had always, however, been exacted, now
broke out into open and avowed piracy on the part of the Beni
Yas, w T ho attacked not only native vessels but likewise those
under British colours. " They openly asserted to their cap-
tives," says Lieutenant (now General Sir) Arnold Kemball^
" that they were determined to leave off all trade, and com
mence piracy; that their dwellings, constructed of sticks and
cadjan mats, could be moved into the interior at will, and thus
placed, with themselves, out of the power of the English. The
extent of their success of course depending upon despatch, their
fleets cruised for a length of time on the Persian coast, in the
general track of the Gulf trade, committing the most daring
depredations, attended with the greatest cruelty, involving in
some cases the murder of the whole of the crews of the boats
that fell into their hands. The most speedy and ample retribu
tion was therefore imperatively necessary to deter the other
tribes from following the example, and thus rendering unsafe
the commerce between this Gulf and the Indian seas."
The Beni Yas chief equipped a fleet of powerful war vessels,
which were sent to cruise down the centre of the Gulf in the
track of the traders; one squadron, which included three of
the largest size, being baghalahs of 300 tons, each carrying
over one hundred men, w T as despatched with the avowed object
of encountering the Company's cruisers, which it was calculated
they could overpower in detail. The piratical chief judged
that his challenge to contest the supremacy of the waters of the
Persian Gulf, which had been conceded to the British flag
since the destruction of the Joasmi fleets and ports in 1819,