"الاتجار بالأسلحة في مسقط. ١٩٠٨-١٩٠٩." [ظ‎‎٢‎٤] (١٢٨/٥٣)

12
and Harman that he could get 77,000
good rifles (magazine, Martini-Henri and
Martini-Metford (‘ 303 ) and good quality
Gras rifles from the various firms in Mas
qat now, exclusive of Goguyer’s stock, and
that of the older pattern rifle such as
Sniders, Gras, etc., there were probably
100.000 in Masqat.* * See “d03cription and prices of rifes at
Masqat.”
The total of 77,000 was arrived at after
carefully calculating the numbers of dif
ferent kinds of rifles. The 100,000 is
merely an approximation.
Our man was told by Abdul Ghafur,
the Inspector of Customs at Masqat, that
Goguyer had 5,000 cases of rifles in stock,
and each case seems to contain at least 20
rifles. Most of them were believed to be
Martini-Henri and short Martini-Metford
rifles. This would mean 100,000 rifles,
and altogether there are apparently about
250.000 rifles in Masqat.
This season the merchants are giving stock of ammunition-
400 rounds of ammunition with each
rifle priced at Its. 100 or over and 100
rounds with each rifle at less than Its. 100 ,
and it is believed that they have enough
ammunition in stock to do this, as well
as to meet demands for extra ammunition.
Last year the merchants gave 200 rounds
per rifle of whatever quality or descrip
tion,
Our man asked Malcolm what cartridges
he could supply apart from any purchase
of rifles he might make. The merchant
offered to supply the following at once, not
necessarny from his own stock, bu! he could
procure them locally:—
30,0C0 *303 cartridges
300.000 M.H.
200.000 Gras
1 r ° Lllct L
^ ~ ui men
come to Masqat to buy only cartridges,
and the merchants keep an extra stock
for this purpose. There were no signs of
the Afghan market being glutted with
rifles and of the demand being only for'
car n ges, though the course of trade may
incline gradually in this direction in a few
years’ time.