Page 106 - Belgrave Diaries(N)_Neat

104

1926

The Sheikh sent down for me in the morning to go up & be with him during the meeting between himself and the
people who are heading the fuss about the Estates orders. Arrived & found him & Sheikh Abdulla in the porch &
about 200 people, several narkhudas (pearl boat captains) & a number of merchants & a few pseudo religious
personages who have in their charge money & lands (wakfs) dedicated for charitable purposes, who really keep all
the money themselves. They are organising all the fun as they hate the Govt knowing how they grow fat on money
which is not really theirs. The Sheikh took me aside into his office & talked a bit & then we returned to the
deputation. They were extremely insolent, shouted, shook their fists under the Sheikhs nose, smoked, which he
dislikes & treated him as if he was a donkey boy. Actually they had no cause for complaint. When they had
shouted & yelled for nearly two hours I lost my temper & told one of them exactly what I thought of him, which
had an excellent effect. The whole show was most undignified & badly done. The Sheikh had absolutely no
control over them & showed up to the worst effect, they simply bullied him. Abdulla sat quiet all the time but I
really believe he is at the bottom of it all in stirring up trouble. Finally they left & the Sheikh agreed to refer the
matter to the Kadi, who after all is the chief religious leader of the place - though an old man almost in his dotage.
Really I felt furious at the way he had let them behave. The Sheikh sent me back in his car. Abdulla bin Jabr, his
head servant, complained about the atrocious manners of these people & asked me to give him orders to throw
out people who behave insultingly in the presence of the Sheikh. Of course I couldn't do that.

Walked to the new well which is being bored after tea & then to a dinner party at Kuseibis; he is the Agent of the
King of the Hedjaz, bin Saoud. Quite a big affair, all the English people present & several Arabs. A very good meal
Arab style but served at a table by Barrett's request! de Grenier as usual ate horribly & clawed lumps of fat off the
whole sheep saying it was like cream. Quite an amusing party & very well done. M had awfully bad toothache & the
Dr came round in the evening. It has been awfully bad for a long time but if we are going to Karachi its not worth
pulling it out.

Monday [11 October]

The Sheikh came to the office in the morning & stayed over two hours discussing what to do about this meeting & the
Kadi. He is so tiresome, never sticks to the point, he begins talking & then goes off onto another subject without
settling the first. He then told me of an old Sheikh, member of the Royal Family, who was very influential. The man &
his son were lately accused of murder & rape, the Sheikh tried them & fined them Rs 7000. Now the Sheikh says he is
doubtful about the case - there is more evidence, for them, so he wants to reopen the case. Then he called in the old
man, a most murderous old villain who looks about as bad as anyone I've seen, & talked to him first about the
question of the agitation - then about his case. Of course its practically a bribe - however I said I'll go through the
case again so the old man said he'd use all his influence about the agitation. At the same time the Quadi asked for
some money for something also meaning that if he was bribed he would help the Sheikh. The place is simply stiff
with intrigue.