Page 579 - Belgrave Diaries(N)_Neat

to Ein Haneini, a very deep well below Rafaa, it was very picturesque and I began a sketch of it. We got three
tins of the very good water from there. A pleasant drive and a change going to a new place.

Thursday 31st July 1930

Spent most of the morning dealing with the reports of the committee which visited the date gardens which
applied for a reduction in the rents. The reductions were fairly substantial in most cases. It is an unheard of
thing in other countries for the Government to order a wholesale reduction in rents which are made between
private individuals. It was the Shaikh who was responsible for it and most of his relations are very annoyed
about it, and no wonder. Shaikh Sulman said that if this is done in the case of a bad year it should also be
done if there is an extra good year and then the landlords should get higher rents also by Govt order. Drove
in the afternoon and had Walker and Bower to dinner, the Mission had asked us but we invited these two in
order not to have to accept the Mission. Played Bridge, Bower is quite harmless but very "commercial" he
has several tiresome habits when playing Bridge which would irritate me if I saw much of him.

Friday 1st August

Went down the bazaar after breakfast to see some very nice embroidery which one of the shops had but
found it shut so then to the Bank. Parke seemed very cross, dont know why, perhaps because I have handed
my car over to the Land Dept and got one of the new model Fords for myself. I suppose I might have given
the old Ford to the Police but he uses a car so very little. Tennis at Agency. Prior, who was going to spend
the night at the Shaikh's island, decided not to go, this is about the third time he has accepted and then
turned it down. The old man will be getting annoyed at him. Prior had a lot of very nice new furniture for
the Agency, he apparently got it himself and hopes to sell it to Govt of India later on. The chairs are like ours.
Stayed very late playing Bridge. Hot weather now and very damp in the evenings, regular Bahrain summer.

Saturday 2nd August

Went out fairly early taking Saleh and the three dogs with me. Motored to Budeya the town on the shore
opposite to the island. The head of the place is a very tiresome old man called Shaikh Abdel Latif, one of the
Dawasir tribe, he is very old and rather silly but extremly quarrelsome. Found carpets spread outside one of
the houses so sat down and drank coffee, then Abdel Latif came along and made a great scene because I had
not gone to this house. He made quite a scene about it. We got into a small sailing boat and from that into a
launch and went across to the island. It is a desolate place and except close to the two wells there is not
much vegetation, only a few bushes enough to provide cover for hares. Went out with the dogs soon after
we got there. It was very hot indeed and not very enjoyable, we walked for about two hours and saw one
hare in the distance and no gazelles. We and the dogs all got very hot and rather tired. Came back and sat in
the little house, which is built at the end of a pier actually above the sea and talked to Abdulla bin Jabr. He
talked a good deal about Parke and various gossip. In the afternoon I had a bathe in the tank and then we
returned to launch to Budeya and motored home, it was a change but rather a tiring hot day. The puppy got
lost and we had to come away without it which bothered me a lot. Got home at about ten oclock. Sent a
carpet along to Armstrong as a present from the Shaikh for all the work he has done for us here. I enjoyed