"تاريخ البحرية الهندية. (١٦١٣- ١٨٦٣)." [‎١‎٣‎٢] (٦٢٢/١٥١)

132
history of the indian navy,
enemy from tlic position wliicli he held 8/t the tower called Rftcr
its owner, Sheikh Mehdi. Accordingly a force of four hundred
Europeans, two hundred Natives, and a detachment of artillery,
under the command of Colonel Pennycuick, was despatched
inland for this service, which was successfully accomplished
with small loss. Having destroyed the tower of Sheikh Mehdi,
the force proceeded to the village of Sheikh Othman, the fort
of which was likewise destroyed, and then returned to Aden,
having accomplished a march of nearly forty miles in twenty-
four hours. While these operations were being cairied on
against the allied tribes by land, Shugra and the Foudtheli
coast were blockaded by the vessels of the Indian Navy,*
Captain t Haines sending them a message that, as they cut off
his supplies by land, he would cut off their dates by sea, and,
if they could subsist on horses' provender, his horses could
very well manage on the dates. These measures had the
desired effect; the Foudtheli chief implored forgiveness for the
past, and promised to observe a more friendly attitude towards
* An officer of the 4 Clive' gives the following details, from whicli an idea can
be formed of the nature of the blockading duties in which the Service was engaged
during the chronic state of hostilities that existed for the first fifteen years after
the conquest of Aden "The first day of the blockade a number of boats en-
deavoured to steal inside the reef at Shugra with supplies ; Lieutenant Mac
kenzie, first of the ' Clive,' made a dash at them with the launch and pinnace,
armed'with a 12-pounder howitzer and a 3-pounder brass gun. The Arabs rushed
down and drew their boats up on the beach, and then congregated among the
low brushwood and sand hillocks along the shore. A smart fire was kept up on
both sides, but the Arab shot passed high overhead and did no harm. Only one
man in the boats was hit, although the boats were struck several times, and Lieu
tenant Mackenzie had a flesh wound in the shoulder. The Sheikh appeared
early in the action, having ridden down close to the beach on an Arab mare with
a foal behind it. He disdained the shelter the rest took, and came down on the
beach with a flourish of defiance, but soon disappeared wounded. After this they
kept out of reach and we returned on board. We subsequently found that they
acknowledged a loss of fifteen killed, including the Chief, whom we saw carried on a
camel while his mare was led. In the evening the boats made a second attempt to
steal in, when Lieutenant Mackenzie again attacked them, hoping to carry them
by boarding, but they were prepared and drew up on the beach, when another
fusilade was kept up till night put an end to our work. November 20th.—Again
off Shugra. It was determined to attack the boats drawn up on the shore with
the view of destroying them without landing. Accordingly the launch and
pinnace, armed as before, under the command of Lieutenant Mackenzie, began
the attack about four o'clock. The Arabs had dug a series of rifle pits along the
shore, and otherwise sheltered themselves, so that few men could be seen, ine
action was continued by throwing shot and shell and destroying the boats, but
the tide prevented a nearer approach, and musketry could only be used witn
effect when the enemy were flitting about. Had the Arabs had any good marks
men we must have suffered severely, but as it was only two of us were hit, one
ball striking a seaman in the forehead and knocking him over and another lodging
in Lieutenant Mackenzie's jacket, while several lodged in the boat and even
passed through her. Darkness coming on put an end to the work. They ha
perfidiously hoisted a flag of truce in the moruing, and when a boat had gone
within reach to parley, fired into her. If the subsequent reports of our spies were
correct, they paid dearly for their treachery, as they stated that in the last attac
the Sheikh's nephew and several men were killed."
f Commander Haines attained post rank on the augmentation of the Service,
on the 11th. of October, 1841.