Page 548 - Belgrave Diaries(N)_Neat

Saturday [26 April]

Court. Ayesha came to call in the afternoon. I did not appear as I was going out to dinner with the Shaikh,
also I knew that she would bother me about a house which she wants The Shaikh to buy for her, and his son.
I have had many messages from her about it. She stayed quite a long time, until after I had gone. The dinner
was with Mubarak, Prior was asked too but did not go so I took Parke with me. It was a very pleasant
entertainment. His house is near the big house on a hill, we sat in his new Meglis and afterwards dined
outside in the open, in the moonlight. Very cool and nice, though really it is not unpleasantly hot yet. There
were only members of the family present and a lot of the hangers on. Shaikh Mohamed was very talkative in
his dull conceited way. He sounds as if he was lecturing school boys when he talks. He told the company
about some of his travels in India at great length and excessive dullness. The Shaikh looked very bored.
Talked about the electric light and got The Shaikh to agree about the date of the opening ceremony. After
dinner a very wild looking young Arab, said to be a poet, but I personally thought he was rather queer in the
head, leapt up in the middle of the Meglis and made a long speech, a verse about Bahrain, the usual sort of
compliments. Parke on these occasions tries to be funny all the time, some of his would be jokes didnt go
down very well, Shaikh Mohamed, who has as much sense of humour as a sheep, constantly didnt
understand and looked down his nose. After dinner Shaikh Mohamed came up to me and said, "what a good
dinner, but what a lot of money it must have cost." I saw him looking over the food and adding up how much
it had cost. He is quite the meanest of all the Khalifas. Prior gave me a letter for the Shaikh about the old
civil list. It is a subject of endless correspondence and worry. The old man when I give him important letters
generally glances over them, not in the least understanding what they are about and then places them in the
outside pocket of my coat saying, "you will see about this afterwards. He then thinks that the matter is
closed.

Sunday 27th April 1930

Meeting of the Wakf Department in the morning which lasted till after one oclock. The members are very
simple people, Shias from the villages and they cant run a committee without me to show them how to do
things. Its a nuisance not being able to start them off independently. They say themselves that the Baharna
never agree among themselves, and certainly they never seem to, either now or in the past. They are very
different to the Arabs. Drove in the evening. Dull day nothing to write about.

Monday [28 April]

Court. The ayah departed on the down boat. She demanded two months leave to India and said after that
she might be able to come back. Not good enough as if she didnt we should be even worse off than before.
We are going to get a young Indian girl from the Mission who has been looking after their Indian nurses. It is
all very annoying. These people if they get ill immediately want to go home. Armstrong arrived on the boat
from Kuwait and came to call in the afternoon. He looked rather uncouth, his red hair stands straight up on
end. He is a decent fellow. He is going to help us bore some wells. Holmes has lent him to us free for a
month. Drove to Essex Point with James and played about on the shore. He likes going there very much.
Warmish day. They are now putting the fans and fittings in the offices. It will be a real blessing when the
current is turned on.