Daud

"David Sassoon was among those who declined to stand. He acted instead as the community's unofficial leader and spokesman, relying on his father's name and prestige. The family's fortune was still considerable, but much of it dispersed in caravanserais throughout Asia, as the Pasha was perfectly aware. Daud might tighten the screws by taxation but obviously needed subtler methods. He therefore planned to arrest selected Jews whose ransom would probably be paid by their richer brethren."

"The aged Sheikh was also becoming active in the complicated financial network that radiated from Baghdad. Arab shipmasters and fierce-looking hillmen from the Mongolian trade routes began to arrive in Bushire with goods and the currency for transactions which the Sheikh Sason or others close to him had initiated. Several traders, who had long made use of the family's counting-house and its credit facilities, co-operated, but others were more cautious. Reports of spies in Bushire confirmed that Daud had not entirely given up hope of kidnapping his enemy."