Page 348 - Belgrave Diaries(N)_Neat
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1927
Monday Dec 19th
Court, got done as early as I could & went out to the Shaikh's. Had to wait over an hour as he was out hawking. There had
been some mix up over cars & he came back in a very bad temper & sent for his servants one by one & shouted at them. He
was very tiresome, there were several hawks in the room & they kept on getting tied up in their cords each time servants had to
come in & arrange them. Went over some business but the only thing that he took any interest in discussing was the cancelling
of his reduction in allowances to some of the Khalifa which Alban & I persuaded him to make. He hinted again that the
attempt to assassinate him last year was someone very near to him, I fancy he may have meant Abdulla, & his excuse for
cancelling the reductions was that it might happen again if he annoyed his family.
Got home quite late, after dark.
Tuesday 20th [December]
Biladya meeting in the morning. The Shaikh did not appear being occupied with Shaikh Isa who is out hunting. The old man
is 81 & still goes hawking, rides most of the day on a donkey.
