Page 515 - Belgrave Diaries(N)_Neat

ballot boxes and voting slips. I and Shaikh Abdulla sat in the office keeping an eye on the voting, the people
took to it at once and seemed to be very interested in the idea. Some of the people were very comic and
very suspicious when they put their papers into the box. Came back in a very small sailing boat as it was low
tide and the middle of the month, the narhuda of the boat had to carry me ashore at the Agency pier as
there was no water close to it. Windy day and very nice sailing. Abdulla and I had another talk to Abdulla
son of Shaikh Hamed about the garden which he bought from his almost imbecile cousin, The Shaikh doesnt
like to order him to give in in the matter. The Shaikh came in after lunch. He had been here for the Joint
Court which they are now having twice a week. He didnt look well and seemed tired, he came in and settled
down cross legged on the sofa as he always does and stayed about an hour talking. He is always very
pleasant and interested in James. James was asleep so he didnt see him. He discussed making over a shop to
one of his sons so I mentioned his son Khalifa, son of Ayesha, who has never been given anything, but as
usual he said he would see about it. He doesnt seem to like the boy which is rather a shame as he is quite a
decent lad. He turned sharply to me and asked if "the mother of Khalifa" as he calls Ayesha, had been talking
to M about her son, fortunately M was able to say "No" as the last time she was here for once in the way she
did not talk about it. Motored to Burr, a little Bahrani village where the surveyors are working and had a look
at their maps. They are Indians and had been much alarmed by a shot being fired near the camp one night.
All the people appeared and told me that it was some one outside the village and they would look after the
surveyors as if they were their guests. I quite believed them too. They also said that now a days they were
like shaikhs and no longer oppressed and made to behave like the slaves of the Khalifa. The Hakkens and de
Grenier and Dr Tiffany came to dinner. Ate one of our geese and very good too. Mail arrived, very late this
week, it should have been in on Saturday or Saturday.

Thursday [16 January]

Court. Drove to Rafaa in the afternoon. Went up into the town and saw the Police guard. Took the
Superintendent with us. Cold day. Didnt go in. Dinner at the Bank. The Jordans, Prior, D.G and Walker were
there. Quite a good dinner. Afterwards we played roulette till 12.30, everyone very tired of it and wanting
to stop. The Jordans on these occasions are always very grasping and keen on winning, looks so bad.

Friday [17 January]

Prior and I went out hunting with the Shaikh. We went after breakfast, rather late as it was raining hard, and
met him at Sakhrir. We waited about a long time for the rain to stop and then went out over the hills. The
Shaikh came and brought a hawk but sighted nothing. He stood on the top of a hill for about ten minutes
with the hawk unhooded in his hand while it gazed over the country, then we motored out to another place
where there are some houses and Prior and I went out with some dogs and some of the men. We rode
donkeys, very uncomfortable. Put up one hare which we caught after a very poor chase, then back to the
houses to lunch. Mubarak and Ibrahaim were there. Ibrahaim is one of the Shaikh's sons, a most awful
creature. Tea at the Agency, only the Jordans turned up, others I suppose thought we were all out hunting.
It was a poor day as far as sport but quite a pleasant change. The Shaikh was in good form and very talkative.
Went out in Prior's car.

Saturday 18th Jan: 1930