'Report on the Administration of the Persian Gulf Political Residency and Muscat Political Agency for the year 1877-78.' [‎254r] (53/165)

AND MUSCAT POLITICAL AGENCY An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. FOlt THE YEAH 1877-78.
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to pay off his debts by yearly instalments. A paper of release (from
obligations) is supplied by the Musaygum, and the Nakhoda seeks
another employer.
This new master sees the amount of yearly instalment due, and is
liable himself for it for the year that he receives the Nakhoda into his
service.
In turn he also is similarly protected, but the whole instalments
due to the first master must be paid up before the second master can
claim those which have been assessed as his due.
Of course, the whole boat's crew is more or less in debt to the
Nakhoda as he himself is to the Bunneah, so that when it suits the
latter to sell up a Nakhooda rather than await payment of the debt by
instalments, he does so to the extent of the boat and the crew. Here
however his claims are ended, and from that moment the Nakhoda is
a free man, his house and other property on shore cannot be touched,
and he is able to enter into new contracts elsewhere. This he generally
does, getting together a fresh crew, and hiring a boat at the recognised
rate of 20 per cent, on the value of the season's harvest.
One further prohibitory custom that obtains iu the Guff should
be mentioned, it is this, that should a stranger buy pearls privately from
a Nakhoda, without the permission of his Musaygum, he becomes
responsible for all the Nakhoda's debts even if these are far in excess
of the value of the pearls which have changed hands.
Altogether, looking at the position of the Bunneah in the Persian
Gulf, it would seem to be rather an enviable one according to their
ideas. They are well protected, and have every opportunity of amassing
considerable wealth.
11. It* will be noticed below that the crew of the boats engaged
in these fisheries have all a recognized
* See para. 12. definite share in the results of their
enterprise.
The Nakhoda is the master, the responsible man, and often owns
the boat himself.
The Seb or saib, the hauler, comes next, and lastly the “ ghoas"
or diver; besides these working hands there are usually a boy or two
employed to catch fish for the daily food, (which is done by putting
down traps at night, shaped like an English Eel trap) to cook, and
for other purposes.
The Nakhoda is either “ khali” (i.e., free from debt), the actual
owner of the boat, and rich enough to conduct operations and provision
his boat and crew without having recourse to a “ Musaygum," or he
owns the boat, but has not money enough to do this, or, lastly, he has
merely hired the boat at the usual rate of 20 per cent, on the value
of the season's gains.
In either of these latter cases he is emphatically no longer free
as he falls into the hands of the Musaygum. Once in that gentleman's
books it is not easy to make hauls large enough to get out of them
again, or do more than gain a bare subsistence.