'History of the Indian Navy. (1613-1863).' [‎321] (362/590)

HISTORY OF THE INDIAN NAVY.
321
ment until it -was too late to offer any effectual resistance.
The ' Sylph' formed one of a squadron carrying the Mission,
under Sir Harford Jones, to the Court of the Shah of Persia',
when, on being separated from the rest of the ships, a fleet of
dhows was seen bearing down on her. Lieutenant W. C.
Graham, her commander, was alive to the peril of his position,
hut he could take no steps to keep them at bay, as they com
mitted no openly hostile act; they only steered for him, and he
had received peremptory orders, any infringement of which
would involve dismissal, on no account to fire on the Arab
craft until they first opened fire upon him. These orders-
placed a small cruiser absolutely at their mercy, for the Joasmi
did not care to engage in a gunnery duel with British seamen,
even with long odds in their favour; their tactics consisted in
running on board an enemy and throwing some hundreds of
desperate men, armed to the teeth, on to the deck of a vessel,
thus bearing down all resistance. This method of fighting-
was well known to the officers of the Indian Navy, and the
crews were specially trained to repel boarders should a calm,
or the loss of any top-hamper, as masts or spars, place
their small vessels at the mercy of an overwhelming force of
the enemy.*
The dhows quickly approached, and ran alongside with their
large overhanging prows, which form a peculiar feature of this
class of vessel, towering above the little cruiser's waist. From
this vantage ground a crowd of men poured volleys of huge
stones upon the heads of the unfortunate officers and crew,
who were powerless to do more than return a feeble musketry
fire. It was too late now to use the guns, or make any effectual
resistance, and, in another instant, the decks of the 'Sylph'
were swarming with a host of desperadoes, who, with the name
of the Prophet on their lips, and a thirst for Christian blood in
their hearts, quickly bore down all resistance, and commenced
a wholesale massacre. Lieutenant Graham fell, covered with
wounds,f down the fore hatchway, where one or two of the
crew who had been hurled below, dragged him into a store
room, of which they barricaded the door from within by a crow
bar; his chief officer, Acting-Lieutenant Denton, who had served
*3® w " ter ^ aB » midshipman An experienced sailor, but not a commissioned officer. , was for a lengthened period senior
. f r VT 11 ^'g-of-war, can recall the drill of "forming Lion's
^ ca J le< l' which was specially practised by the crews of small
aft .Tfi rep ? ), ? ar ^ ers - The enemy was supposed to be boarding, forward or
smkll fi Ca !? m ig ht . be ' an d at the word " Form Lion's mouth," a couple of the
sC wirt. n f h ° witzers wer . e wheeled across the deck at the other end of the
euns wprp fi T 18 / 1 arme ; d Wltl1 cutlasses in rear of them. At tlie order the
made at 7 ^ u PP osec * to be Wlt h grape) at the enemy, and then a rush was
made at the foe, staggered by this unexpected discharge.
8urvivprl U 1 ? raliam ' w ^ 0 subsequently held a shore appointment at Bombay,
the head and shoulde 11 ^ 1 *^ ^ * :err ^ e wounds he received on this occasion on
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