"تقرير إداري عن المقيمية السياسية في الخليج العربي والوكالة السياسية في مسقط عن الفترة ١٨٨٤-١٨٨٥." [ظ‎‎١‎٩] (١٣٠/٣٤)

32
ADMINISTEATION REPORT OF THE PERSIAN GULP POLITIC^ L
The Viceroy at that time, Dom Buarte deMenezes,
despatched Dom Gon Calo in advance to enconrage the gams ; t ' nee . The arrival of
speedy setting out of a fleet nnder Dom Lmz deMenezes to ^cir ass.sta
Dom Gon 9 alo seems to have tnrned the tables f ! V0U ; 1 ? £ f ^ e that
have restored their predominant position through the < tea o lc rL , Ar.,; 01 - had been sent
had been perpetrated. In the meantime Manoel n'A^
back by the commandant to try and recover the prisoners in Oman. On a „
found L place deserted, owing, as he learned, to the fear entertained by th ;
new Persian Governor of Kilhat, Reis Dclamin Shah, was about to attek th ^ 0 ; ^|
of M. deSonza Tavarcs' arrival, however, the Sheikh presently returned to the t 0 "*
solicited Portuguese protection. Having no reason foi < e a y in » er ®'
deTavares proceeded to Kilhat where his demand for the surrender of e « a P ' v ® s
decided refusal from the Acting Governor, Khoja Zein -ul-Din, who said he had a letter
the King Toorun Shah for Dom Lniz deMenezes, and that he would wait for the latte
arrival.
It was in February 1522 when Dom Luiz deMenezes set out from Chaul witb a flotilla o£
three galleys, four fustas and one caravella to avenge the massacre and restore order, having
already despatched in advance the new Commandant of Hormuz, Joao Rodngues deNoronha, to
relieve Continho, whose three years tenure of office had expired. Dom Luiz anchored first at
Kilhat, where his first demand was for the surrender of the captives, now reduced to 26 in
number. The Governor replied by sending off the King's letter addressed to Dom Luiz, which
contained nothing but a series of complaints against the present and former Portuguese Corn-
mandants of Hormuz, but he evaded the demand for the delivery of the prisoners by saying
that he had no authority, and must await the new Governor. Dom Luiz being in want of
water for his ships, proceeded to Teynwee, where a collision occurred with the Arabs, in which
the latter were defeated, and in revenge for which they murdered seven Portuguese they had
in their hands. While at this place, Dom Luiz received a message from Sheikh Rashid,
reporting the approach by land to Muscat of Reis Delamin Shah with a large force, and be
seeching armed support. Dom Luiz accordingly detached the caravella for Muscat with orders
to support the Sheikh from the sea as far as the guns of the vessel would reach, but to under
take no operations on shore. The Sheikh, nevertheless, obtained the aid of five Portuguese
volunteers, and attacking the Persians in the Great Wady completely defeated them, their leader,
Delamir Shah, being killed in the fight. Dom Luiz arrived at Muscat two days after this
affair, and having congratulated the Sheikh, rewarded him handsomely for his loyalty and
nrotection to the Portuguese during the revolt. He then stationed a fusta as security for the
port and apparently for the first time established here a garrison of 20 men for the defence
of the town.
After a stay of four days, during which time he was joined by two more vessels from
Goa, Dom Luiz set out for Sohar, where there was a large Persian garrison. The Arab chief
in the neighbourhood of Sohar at this time was Sultan-biu-Mesood, who dwelt in the interior
near the hills and whose army was composed of 250 horse and 3,000 foot. Another neighbour
was Sheikh Husein-bin-Saeed, the Chief of the great tribe Ben Jabra, who had 300 horse and
4,000 foot. These Ben Jabra were Bedouins, and possessed more than 500 leagues of country.
Sheikh Husein was therefore the lord of all the interior as well as the Island of El Bahrein
and the entire coast as far south as Dhofar.
Dom Luiz having information about these two important personages, who being Arabs
were always at war with the Persians of Hormuz, determined to seek their alliance, and
accordingly wrote to them, offering to put them in possession of Sohar if they would aid him in
ousting the Persians. To this proposal the two Sheikhs readily agreed, but Dom Luiz was
detained on his way to Sohar by contrary winds, and in the meantime, by an untoward incident
which occurred off the Batineh coast, Sultan-bin-Mesood became estrano-ed
G *
Dom Luiz's plan was that the Arabs should surround Sohar by land while he attacked
it from the sea ; but on his arrival there on the 11th March 1522 he found Sheikh Husein
only with his force in position. Sheikh Sultan having retired in dudgeon. The gallant Persian
Governor, Reis Shehab-ul-Din, moreover, had already effected his escape, leaving his garrison
of 80 men to defend the fort as best they might. Dom Luiz arranged to attack the place at
once, but the garrison, deserted by their leader and dreading the resentment of their enemy
had no intention of awaiting the assault; and having bribed the Arabs outside, were allowed to
pass through their lines at night and decamp ii> the darkness. The Portuguese troops on
shore hearing of this, scaled the walls and entered the fort, and having massacred or captured