Page 217 - Records of Bahrain (3) (i)_Neat

British influence and foreign interests, 1904-1906 207

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as far as tho threshold. Thon I thought to myself that Ihoy might kill me and
ran bnok into tho liouso among tho womon. Tho same two mon followed mo
and Wore trying to drag mo out when tho women began to scream and a man
ontored [Mahomed bin Surhan (Arab), thoir rtoxt door neighbour, MAC^nt^of
Aljbin Ahinod] and lank-thO-two nssailafltBjaut and left mo In tho houflo and
(hoH^or' W!ir ul0Bc<LOno of tho two avauajits wns an Abyssinian slave of
Alt bin dinned aad_tho othor is hit servant (i.e., AlPfrUOfranl).
'^Tromainod thoro till tliroo hours atttJTsunflot, when Dr. Thoms and Mr.
Lobo at tho Consul's rcouost oamo to soo aftor mo. Tkoy Informed mo that
my father and brothor had boon very sevorely wounded.
Tho only reason I onn think for this ocourrenco and tho assault upon m$r
employ6 is that it is I ns Untnnl Baslii, who hate had to dotcot and demand tho
punishmont of porsou9 who rob from tho lightors and tho Customs House.
Thoy have not throatoned mo oponly, but their object is to do mo harm with tho
Sheikh and got mo out.
I have llttlo or nothing to do with Slioikh Ali bin Ahmed personally. Aftor
tho alfray, during the night, Sheikh Isa's nogro canio to mo from his mnstor.
Ho asked mo to ovorlook what had happened and assured mo from the Sheikh
that tho culprits would bo adequately punished. I allowed the niossongcr the
critical stato of my fathor and brothor, and he was vory tnuoh shocked and wont
away to report.
In tho morning I wont with Captain Pridcaux to tho Sheikh to Moharrag.
I took tho wounded men in a 6oparato boat. I saw tho Slioikh in Captain Pri-
doaux's presence. Tho Shoiklr suggested that wo should go to tho Shariat.
I domurred against going to tho Shariat on tho grounds his nophow Ali
bin Ahmed in conjunction with tho Mullahs Slioikh Jassim and Slioikh Ahmed
biu Mahznr hadordorod tho assassination of tho Persians and put up tho assault
on us and tlicso samo Mullahs aro tho “ Shariat, ”
My reason for 6aying this was that Mullah Sheikh Ahmed and Sheikh
Boraini, his brothor, were standing among tho mobout'ido tho mosquo looking
on, and ovon tho women cauio out with sticks or pestles and Shoikh Ali’s
sorvants wero mixod up in it as well. I never agreed to go to tho Shariat for
a moment. Din Jilol, tho Sheikh’s sorvant, did oome to mo tho third day
aftor the ooourronco and wantoil to tako mo to Shoikh Jassim, but I refused
and informed Captain Pridcaux that I had dono so.
/ Thoro is no Mullah hero whoso decision or arbitration wo as Shias could
possibly nocopt in this Vital case.
Evidenco takon in tho prosonoo of the 8hoikh’s Vazior Shoreidch, who has
no further questions to put.
Witness rocallcd Otli Deccmbor 1004:—It is quite true I have a rovolvor.
I got it about tliroo months ago from a man iu Moharrag Tho reason was
this. I ran down somo robbers threo months ago—Arabs from Dussorah—who
had been committing sovoral rohhorios, 8 wore imprisonod, 3 aro still (in prison ?)
and 5 woro roleased and oxpollod. Being in fear of my lifo on this aooount, I
bought o rovolvor in Moharrag and got a country-man of m.ino, nntnod Ali
Mahomed, always to walk about with mo and io sloop in my houso Ali is a
poor man, working hard for his living and lodging next door, so I selootcd him
iu order to give him a job. My sight is'too bad for mo to nso a rovolvor myself,
™fn.n'|0.rA0«niV, Ii^D? unot llng nb0ut or tl)0 u.0 of tliom. L cnm'rJ..
ear

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