Page 245 - Records of Bahrain (3) (i)_Neat

British influence and foreign interests, 1904-1906 235

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with tho. doportation of Shoikh Ali that ho was bo nuxious to gain time. In
viow, liowovor, ot tlio fact that ho had .already had two months in which to ponder
ovor my proyious domands and his own position, end that tho foundation of
liis pros out ftttorapts to procrastinato could.hardly, bo any thing clso than tho
hopo of ullimatoly evading our demands, his sucocssivo entreaties for 6ix, five,
four, thi'oo or ovon two days wore not nccodcd to, and as aoou ns ho had boon
furnished with a copy of tho ultimatum tl\p meeting was adjourned until tho
following morning.
•I Would draw attention hero to tho fact that throughout .my provious visit
and up to now tho contingency of his boing impotent to produce either Sheikh
Ali or tho othor men wantod had never boon suggosted or allowod by tho
Sheikh. . On tho contrary ho had always sought to preserve the poiito fiction
tnai tuev wero cnuroly under ins uuntiui.
o». Shortly after noon Sheikh Abdulla returned luiuo Agonoy and inioriucd
Captain Pridcaux that having boon ordered by his father, on leaving our
presoncc, to send an othor summons to his brother and uncle, and also to warn.
Shoikh Ali to presont himsolf beforo tho Chiof ot Muharrug, he had in duo
courso proocodod to Shoikh Ali’s houso and from tho latter’s responso ho feared
that ho was likoly to abscond during the night. Ho was directed to inform
his fathor nt onco and to warn him to tako immediate steps to onsuro his
nephew's presence in tho morning as arranged.
At 3*30 p.m. Shoikh E6a himsolf came over again from Muharrug, accom­
panied by a Dhoio full of armed followers. Ho tame straight to tho Agency
and iuformod mo that Shoikh Ali oyidently intonded to abscond, if lie had not
nlroady done so, and that ho had thoreforo brought somo avmod mon for tho
purposo of arresting him, but that to this ond ho would be glad of the moral
support of 8omo ropresontativo of the British Agenoy or of a few sepoys from
tho Agency guard. How far ho was now acting in good faith it was difficult
to say, neither was thoro timo to asoortain, but it seemed to me that if wo now
rofusod to co-operalo with- him ho inight aftorwards plead that if he had been
givon tho slight assistance*asked for ho would liavo boon able to comply with
this itom of tho ultimatum. Accordingly it was decided that Captain Pridcaux
and l/ioutbnant .'Gnbriol should nocompany tho Shoikh’s mon, with a dozen
sopoy* from tho Infantry Hotaohmont, but that they should romain in tho
hack ground and only givo assistanco in ease it was actually required.' At the
anmo timo the Souior Naval Offl cor was asked by signal to oo-pernto from tho
harbour and ho did so by Bonding two armed boats to lio off tho shoro opposite
Sheikh Ali’s houso. Tho Chief’s son, Abdulla, was in ciiargo of tho former’s
men and it was left to him to enter tho houso and oudeavour to induce Sheikh
Ali to givo himsolf up. In tho intoryal Sheikh Esa himsolf remained in my.
company nt tho Agonoy, and we wore now joined by his brother Shoikh
Khalid, of Iiuffa, and his son Sheikh Homed. :
. . It soon transpired, howovor, that Ali had osoapod earlier in thodgy, im-
modialoly|on rcooiving Shoikh Abdulla’s mossago, (or warning ?), and accordingly
Shoikh Khalid left shortly aftorwards ostensibly furnished with peremptory
instructions . from tbo Cbiof to scour tho island during tho night in search of
his fugitive nopliow, . :
It would probably liavo boon possible to liavo prevented Shoikh Ali’s-
escape by putting Bluojaokcts ashore in tho morning and surrounding his
houso, but that would liavo boon a.more or less hostilo act,which it did not
scorn that wo woro justified in taking beforo tho. expiry of tho 2di hours,
allowod for oomplianco with tlio terms of tho ultimatum,
c This, poriod expired at 9 a.m. tho following morning, Eebruary,
/6th, and on that day Shoikh Esa arrived at tho Agonoy half nu hour beforo
tho time, accompanied by his sons Hamed and Abdulla.
Ho intimated that ho lmd brought with him tho 2,000 rupcos demanded
as compensation for tho Persians, and also tho draft notification in connection
with tho application of tho right of " Suklira (This was subsequently
amended and provisionally approved by mo and issued in tho form shown in
Enolosuro No. 2). Ho added that tlio CO mon whom ho had boon oallodunon to
furnish ns a Bazqar guarcl _ WQuld bo producod fqr inspection at. any timo that.