The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1867-06-21
PIRATES OF THE PERSIAN GULF.
A Startling Narrative.

a otartllng NaIIat1Ve.
A correspondent of The Chicago Tribune
furnishes the following:
Abribim Moosa is nGwthe proprietor of
a still in the Bazaar of Nuscat, and when
last saw him, was doing good business
in pearls. Ten years ago you would have
found him wandering Bedouin some
where on the plains bel6een Omen and
4 Hadramaut His mother gas the fifth wife
of Doolah Moosa Moosa, Ind as such she
shared the fortunes of; one of the greatest
villains the world ever. produced: Doolah
Moosa Moosa asd his clique, numbering
some five hundred Bedoui6s, formed tribe
of the most terrible of pirates that infested
the Persian Gulf and its adjacent waters.
d. NJ. Moosa & Co. fourished for nearly a
quarter Of a century until the British gun
boat Tiger put an untimely end to the firm,
in the year 1913. Their retreat, strong
one, was found ont, and the Tiger captured
forty craft besides four large armed bug
labs, each carrying from fifteen to twenty
guns, six and nine Founders. In the hold
of one. the ,Sheik Ell Enair, there was col
lected together no less than thirty-two pairs
of skeleton hands, many skulls, besides odd
arms, legs and other parts of the human
body. The pirates fought like demons,
but were in time beaten few were taken
prisoners, and far too many were allowed to
make their escape into the Businesses of
the mountains.
Twelve years after this event had the
pleasure of being stationed in the precise
locality of the above occurrence-at Ell
phinston's Inlet, a spot some miles distant,
west Of Cape Mussendon, on the Eastern
coast of Arabia. My business at this place
was to endeavor, in making arrangements
with the neighboring sheiks Of the Bedou-
ms, to guarantee that none of the people
would amuse themselves by cutting the
threats of the telegraphists who were about
to locate in their neighborheod.
! 1t was here met Abrihim Moosa, and
finding him somewhat of civilized being,
employed him as my moonshe (tutor) and
Interpreter. On Tuesday night he became
very much excited. 1t was the anniversary
of the death of his father, who was bru
tally murdered just there" said Moosa,
pointing over his left shoulder into the in
tense darkness of the night.
was alone, and felt uncomfortable. The
Government of Bombay had provided for
my reception hulk and crew of hindons.
This hulk was moored fore and aft, and to
me it always appeared singularly suggestive
of floating target on which the settling
Arabs on the shore could practice with ex-
quisite convenience to themselves. 1t lay
half mile, either end, from wall some
hundred feet high, of black, gaunt and in
hospitable rocks. Covering the tops Of
these hills pretty thickly were the worst
breed Of Bedouin-''a man who never says
his prayers,
| ,,o,.c. .Lo >f nr1,r,
! Bombay Government gave me, when eay-
ing, was one most particular to find out, at
any cost or expense, what had become of a
boats crew numbering eighteen hands who
had left their vessel in search Of fresh
water, and had never been heard of since
The ship to which they belonged was named
the Constance, trading between America,
Muscat, and Calcutta. began talking the
matter over with Moosa that very Tuesday
night, and finished about four o'clock the
next morning The arrangement was al
most complete. Moosa agreed to tell me
the whole of the story, and | in return
promised to give him one thousand rupees,
and to set him up in an honest trade. lie
was tired of the Bedouin life. He had cut
many throats-he had forgotten how many;
he was tired of counting when he got yer
the 6ftieth. The money was paid l OBJ
tanned it of Persian Jew of kilshain.
heard the tale, and here it is from my diary
as told by Moosa:
1.-THE crew landed, leaving two men to
mind the boat on the beach. The guides
who were TO take them to the wells led
them to a mountain pass; they were sur
rounded by hundreds of Bedouins. 1t was
only month past since a gunboat caught
and hanged eighteen of this piratical gang,
so now came the Arab revenge. Some of
the crew were killed on the spot the re-
mainder, about twelve in number, we're
dragged into the hills Bedouin court sat
and tried the prisoners, and the crew were
then one by one tied to pieces of projecting
rock and jambiered-whch is no less than
hacking pieces of muscle from their bodies
This occurred about noon, and they were
left to bleach and perish in the sun So
they died most assurediy the worst OF all
agonizing deaths.
| sent special messenger to Bombay,
and in the course of a month had the
British gunboat Vigildnt with me to lnves-
tigate the matter. The spot in the noun.
tains was accurately described to us by
Moosa, and we found it with little difficulty.
On landing we passed through the settle
ment of the Bedouins. who offered to join
us :" for our safety" as they expressed ii
On our return they had decamped.
Beside some pieces of rocks we found all
we wanted-the remains of nine or ten
men. These we collected together in a sack
which we carried away to give decent bur
ial. A little island some distance of we Sc
lected, aud it is now mark ed in all good
maps"