Page 532 - Belgrave Diaries(N)_Neat

of their clothes were wonderful, brilliant scarlets and oranges and greens. A most picturesque sight. I was
sorry not to have my camera. We arrived at the same time as all the Shaikhs, Hamed, Mohamed and Abdulla
and all the sons and nephews and other relations. The Shaikh's Meglis is a small room upstairs in his big
rambling house, rather shabby with a few very poor carpets, eaten by rats in places, and a set of hideous
chairs and a settee done in faded green plush with an ornament of sort of fans at the back of each chair, the
style of thing one would see in a very bad lodging house and which would match aspidestras and closed
windows. When we first got there all the relations were salaaming him, a long line of them coming in one by
one and shaking hands. We had to stand till this had stopped and afterwards there were constant
interruptions as other people came in to call and each time Shaikh Isa stood up everyone else had to do the
same. The old man looked really very well, just as he did four years ago when I came here. His beard is quite
white and beautifully silky and his one sound eye very bright. He was plainly dressed mostly in white and
carried a very plain sword in a black sheath, his sons all had gorgeous gold ones. I believe he never went in
much for show. We sat on one side and the family opposite, long pauses and an occasional remark by Prior
through his interpreter. They talked of the Haj and Prior spoke of Sh Isa doing another one by aeroplane, Isa
said he had no intention of doing this but said that Shaikh Hamed should, he has never done the Haj which is
very remiss of him. Watched the dancing for some time outside and then called on Mohamed and Abdulla
and Ibn Ibrahaim and finally on Rashis, where we met the Shaikh again. I went to the house to call for the
ladies and drank coffee with Ayesha and her mother staying there for some time. Then back to Manama by
boat. Marjorie had had the honour of being introduced to Isa by old Ayesha which was supposed to be a
very great honour, I have never heard of him meeting any other English woman. She found the old lady quite
amiable but rather cross at her not being able to stay for lunch. Some rain in the morning and a lot more in
the evening. Went to tennis at the Mission and Parke arrived in the evening. Stayed up very late talking to
Parke. He seems rather fed up and I couldnt get a definite reply from him about staying on or not. It seems
that financially he is no better off than he was before. I sent off an article to the Near East, a sort of monthly
letter. Queer rainy damp weather and quite cold at times though the summer is getting on.

Tuesday 4th March 1930

Paid calls in the bazaar in the morning and had to drink a lot of very nasty tea coffee and sweet drinks. Both
the up and the down mail arrived together. Quite a good mail. Took the dogs out for a run in the car and
then played tennis at the Agency. They have one Captain O'Conner staying with them, a soldier on a special
job of making a military report on the Gulf. Parke came in to call while we were playing Bridge. He stayed
with us. D.G. to dinner.

Wednesday [5 March]

Office opened. Various people came in to see me, Dr Holmes, Ali bin Hussein and others. Arranged about
the elections of the Biladya. Went over the Shaikh's accounts. As usual he has been spending too much
money and the worst of it is he never has anything to show for it. Daly used to say that he hadnt a decent
horse or car or even a wife who was anything to look at, personally I except Ayesha from this remark. The
Shaikh was to have come in but did not. Bridge at the Bank in the evening.