Page 469 - Belgrave Diaries(N)_Neat

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1929

on the top between the wings, quite pleasant. The divers didnt seem in the least surprised at seeing us, which
disappointed the aeronauts who always seem to hope for trouble. Some of them bought a few seed pearls. They had
hardly any on board having sold yesterday. The Shaikhs seemed to enjoy it enormously. The narhuda asked us to take
his small son back to Manama which we did, a boy of about ten, he was very alarmed at first and howled, afterwards he
liked it. A great experience for him, he will probably talk about it for ever after. Coming back I sat up above in one of
the driving seats, outside. It was absolutely different, awfully nice and very interesting. One could look right over the
side down onto the sea and over the land when we reached it. The sea is rather monotonous but it was wonderful
seeing the town and the island. The place looks most awfully nice from the air, somehow much more green than one
would expect. The houses look better than they are, all in squares, the compounds, and so many with a patch of green
in the centre of the square. We circled very low over the town and then twice round the landing ground, then above the
road out to Sakhrir and back by the coast to the anchorage. It really is very wonderful. It feels much safer being in a
flying boat as the landing on water makes it somehow safer. When the machine is moving on the water it feels just like
a fast motor boat and one doesnt know when it leaves the water. It was quite smooth and hardly every slanted over.
Landed beautifully without any bumps. What I should dislike is being anchored in it on a rough day. I think what
made me ill was not the flying at all but the close atmosphere inside and then the swell on the sea. The cars met us and
I came home and changed. One gets rather messy in the machine. I felt rather unwell for most of the morning, the
affect of sea sickness and I think the terrific noise of the engines which one gets most outside. There is no comparison
about flying inside or out. We did 70 miles an hour, over a mile a minute. I dont think we were very high. Had a
court when we got back. Shaikh Abdulla was waiting for us. Everyone complained of the heat, the Shaikh had been in
to the Agency and said it was the worst morning he could remember for years. In the air one did not notice the heat,
only the sort of stuffiness inside. Announced the judgment in the two murder cases in the presence of the assessors and
the parties. The Bahranis refused to accept the money, as I expected, but that is their look out. The accused didnt seem
very interested, the Ghattam one said nothing, he looks almost an idiot, Hamud bin Subah began to be a little
argumentative but Shaikh Abdulla choked him off very smartly. I think they must dislike eachother. I shall be very
interested to hear what the bazaar thinks about it. Then took ordinary cases. Howe came over again and wasted a lot
of my time talking about plans of the Landing Ground. He seems to think I have no work to do at all, Prior found the
same. Slept most of the afternoon and in the evening Prior and the three flying men came to dinner. Prior left early, to
finish off letters and the two young ones went along to Mespers but Howe stayed on for ages and bored me stiff. A
dull man and poorly educated, I suppose he must be good at engines and things to have become as senior as he is. He
spoke of their coming next month, or early in October, I wish there was somewhere here one could retire to, like the
Hills. They have had a row with Mespers in Bagdad and apparently are going to deal with Kanoo, but Howe arranged
here to keep on with Mespers. Whatever it is is no fault of Strakers but something at Basra.

Friday 16th August

Painted most of the morning and read. Rather hot but a dry wind. The aeroplane came in the afternoon and landed in
the wrong place, in the middle of the road just beyond the Fort. They came and told the Pilot that it was not the landing
ground so he flew up again and came down on the right place. I didnt go out to see it but just when I was having tea a
R.A.F. man walked in and announced that he had been sent from Basra to see the Aerodrome, seemed quite a decent
man so I put him up, as a matter of fact I suppose I should have had to do so at all events as there is nowhere where
they can go. I wish they would hurry up and build their place and save us the bother of having to be a free hotel for
them. Went out after tea to the aerodrome. He seemed to think it was quite all right as it is without taking in part of
Shaikh Sulman's garden. Went for a bit of a drive afterwards. He seemed very tired with the trip and said it was very
bumpy in some places and very hot. I shouldnt have expected a flying man to mind such things. He had been some