Page 573 - Belgrave Diaries(N)_Neat

Friday 11th July

In the morning we took the two frenchmen down the pearl bazaar. They were very interested, we sat in a
coffee shop in the bazaar and they bought a few pearls, not expensive ones. They seemed to like all the
bargaining very much. There were a lot of Arabs about all very interested in what they were doing here.
Then we went on to the Bank and after playing a little Bridge we brought them back to lunch at the house.
They were both very pleasant and amusing. I found I could understand them perfectly well but had some
difficulty in talking being so out of practice. Tennis at the Agency as usual. M said to Mrs Dame that one
didnt get much Bridge these days which apparently annoyed Mrs D very much, she being a Missionary and so
not a player. Dinner party at Mespers, it was supposed to be a send off for Dr Holmes but as it happened he
put off his going till the next week. We played Roulette. We left fairly early as there have been so many late
nights lately.

Saturday [12 July]

Court. Mohamed Ali acted for Sulman as he has gone to Hassa with Mubarak to pay a visit to the Amir
Abdulla bin Jeloui. The Shaikh at first thought of going himself but in the end he sent them. I think it was
very unnecessary however he seemed set on it. We had a case of a diver who was very ill out at the banks,
his nahuda said he must dive and as the man was not strong enough to do so he made him stay overboard all
day on the end of a rope, in the sea while the other man dived. A most inhuman piece of cruelty. Motored
in the afternoon and then to dinner at the Palace. Prior and the Frenchmen went out to Sakhrir but I didnt
go with them. I got there rather early and had a talk with Abdulla bin Jabr about the waste of electric light.
Then the Shaikh arrived and Mohamed came in to say good bye, he seemed almost bright. I really do dislike
him, such a snivelling mean little man. Had a very good dinner, nobody else was there except one of the
young sons and a Shaikh from Rafaa, there was enough food for about fifty people. Such a waste. The
Frenchmen are very well impressed with all they have seen. The Shaikh has a very good memory for faces,
he said he remembered seeing Londres in a Hotel in Damascus about five years ago, as it happened he was
right. The Shaikh went back to Sakhrir after dinner and is staying there they get back from Hassa.

Sunday 13th [July]

Shaikh Abdulla called and discussed the Hassa trip, he does not approve of it, he said all the people are saying
that they have gone there for what they can get, presents. He said it was not the habit of the Khalifa to pay
visits without being asked and a very great pity it had been allowed he said once while journeying, I think to
some conference, he and Shaikh Hamed were entertained by Abdulla bin Jelui or perhaps Ibn Saoud himself,
and their host sent a string of donkeys to their tent loaded with bags of money, as a present, they refused it,
but had they accepted it it would have done them a lot of harm. Perhaps Abdulla was angry at not having
been of the party himself. The Frenchmen called in the afternoon to say goodbye, they are going back to
Paris at once via Irak. Motored out in the afternoon in one of the new Fords which Kanoo sent round for us
to try, we are probably going to buy a new one and pass my one on to the Land Department which needs
one. They are very nice, many improvements on the old type.