Page 109 - Belgrave Diaries(N)_Neat

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1926

Court in the morning. A lot of cases as all the divers are back here now, one case was for 28,000 rupees, as usual a
merchant claiming from his narkhuda. The merchants are really money lenders, capitalists, & wax fat & oily on it.
One can spot them a mile off. Dined with Pack, also present Robinson & the Dr, & afterwards went to Spences where
we played Bridge. Pack always provides champagne for dinner, although he is a Jew. I like him well; he is very
intelligent & interesting to talk to on the subject of pearls etc. Danced at the Spences in the intervals & during the
Bridge. Pickering got a little drunk. de G was terrible, as usual. Rather warm again these days.

Sunday 16th October [17]

Not a very busy morning. Fortunately a great many people still imagine that this office, like the Agency, closes on
Sunday. Slept in the afternoon. Rather hot & damp. A lot of boats coming back from "rudda" the short season at the
end of the big pearling season. After tea I went off on an expedition to Muharraq and Hedd. The Sheikh's big car, a
Hudson, took me to the quay & there we found about a score of his retainers in his launch all carrying daggers &
guns, a most bloodthirsty outfit! Went over to Muharraq where we met Sheikh Abdulla & his followers similarily
armed. Searched about a dozen houses where there were supposed to be suspicious characters living. Found some
ammunition & a revolver & a few daggers but nothing else. Then motored across the firm hard sand to Hedd, a fine
drive, by moonlight. Went to the house of Jabr bin Msallem a big Narkhuda. A fine house right on the shore. He was
sitting outside with his divers around him drinking coffee. He took us to several houses which we searched with no
success. There had been a big robbery & a man who has a shop was suspected so we burst open the shop & searched
it. Then raced back to Muharraq, going across the sand at 40 miles per hour, into the launch & home. Landed on the
coast where Abdel Rahmans car met us & took us back to Manama. Muharraq looked really lovely from the sea in
the moonlight, & many of the places were very picturesque.

Monday 18th [October]

Went over to see Barrett in morning about a note he left for me saying that the P.R. had wired approving of my going
to India to recruit new police. Very doubtful as to going as I dont fancy leaving my work here & hate the idea of de
Grenier fussing round in my office, he's very inquisitive & very interfering. The Sheikh came in & didnt at all like the
idea of my going, however I eventually decided to go by the next down mail after tomorrow's one, in a fortnight, &
am sending on some men ahead to recruit hoping to have the men ready by the time I arrive at Lahore. The mail
arrived in the morning. In the afternoon we took the Barretts out to Kurzakhan where I went to see the water
channel again. Had a picnic tea near the spring. Ahmed bin Abdulla from Rufaa came there to meet us. The Spences
came to dinner & afterwards we played Bridge. The Kadi wrote a reply to the Sheikh about the questions that he put
to him, very pompous & mostly religious sentiments. He is about 80 & quite unfit to be a Kadi. He wont retire as he