Page 610 - Belgrave Diaries(N)_Neat

Saturday [8 November]

Very rough day yesterday, I was not looking forward to going out with the Shaikh to meet the Resident, but
today it is much calmer and we had quite a good trip out. I told the Shaikh about de Grenier's forthcoming
marriage on the way out, he was most interested and asked a lot about it. There has never been an English
wedding in Bahrain before. The Resident came on the Patric Stewart, the cable ship, with the Triad as escort.
When we arrived on board the S.N.O came to call too, from the Triad, a nice fellow, one Captain Eyre Crabbe
by name, stout, elderly and a gentleman. Isa came to call on the Resident as usual and there were cannons
and guards of honour and the usual programme, Police marching about and all very gay. M is ill in bed with
fever, cant make out what it is, she was really quite bad, the doctor, who we have no confidence in,
suggested it was the change in the weather, absurd, or influenza, but that too doesnt fit the symptoms. In
the afternoon I took Parke and the farmer out to the garden at Aali where we are preparing to plant cotton.
It was very nice out there, went into Mespers after and played bridge.

Sunday 8th [9 November]

Office in the morning, M had a temperature of 105.6, very nasty and most uncomfortable. In the afternoon I
was going over to the Agency but as M was so bad I didnt go and stayed here and gardened instead. Dinner
party at the Agency, enjoyed it very much, a very good dinner and Bridge later. Dr Todd was at the dinner
and looked like nothing on earth, rather like an ill intentioned ghost, I saw the Resident looking at him several
times with quite a nervous expression. There was an awkward moment when Prior quite by mistake talked
about people who were partly Indian, Todd heard and showed that he did. It is not pleasant having these
people about, one has to be so careful over what one says.

Monday 10th November

Didnt have a court as the Shaikh had a luncheon party for the Resident. Quite a big party, all the Europeans
here and several off the two ships. I took two men off the Patric Stewart out in my car. They were rather
common but harmless. On the way we were met by Shaikh Mohamed and some of his sons and retainers
with a pair of hawks. A bustard had been seen in the morning and they were sent on ahead to tell us about it
and to hunt it. We left the road and drove across country for a little way to where a man was watching the
place, Mohamed and his son Rashid went ahead, we walking behind. They carried their hawks unhooded on
their wrists, Rashid let his hawk go and after circling round a few times quite low down we saw the bustard
rise, a big clumsy bird, it hardly left the ground before the hawk had it down. To my mind its a poor sport,
usually the bustard gets no run at all. We went on to another place and they stood on a hill with the hawks
looking round but they seemed to take no interest in the view so we got into the cars again and went on to
Sakhrir. A fairly good lunch on the outside part outside the Meglis. Some people took photos afterwards.
Drove back and then went to the school sports in the afternoon. They were really very good and well run,
Parke dealt with them as the school masters alone seemed incapable of running them. M still in bed with
high fever. Too hot for this time of year though in the morning it was cooler and cloudy. Shaikh Mohamed
talked much of wishing to visit England, he keeps on saying he wants to come home with us, a dreadful bore
it would be too as he is such a very tiresome little man. I wouldnt mind taking the Shaikh himself home, but
Mohamed would be a very dull companion.