Page 62 - Belgrave Diaries(N)_Neat

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1926

dined with Daly. The Lieut missed his launch back to the ship so I brought him over here, gave him a bath & dressed
him in my clothes - he being 5 foot 8, they were rather baggy! A very good dinner. Hot evening & felt rather heavy as
I've got a cold. Tomorrow I have to take the Sheikh on board the ship, to pay an official call. Captain Parry is the
Senior Naval Officer in the Gulf, seems a pleasant little man, but a trifle too important, I suppose he is rather senior.

Tuesday [29th June]

Took the Sheikh, & Sheikh Abdulla, out to the HMS Triad to pay an official call on the Senior Naval Officer of the
Gulf, one Captain Parry. A very nasty blusterous day, the Shamaal still blowing hard. We went in the Sheikh's launch
& took about a dozen attendants, who didnt come on board. Sat in the Captain's most luxurious cabin & drank coffee
while he tried to talk to the Sheikh in the most execrable Arabic. On the way out something about the rudder smashed
& for ¼ hour we were out of control, not pleasant as the waves were quite high. Several men dived overboard in a
second & fixed it up by diving under the boat. I was held up on my way round in the car by having poured a can of
water, instead of petrol, into the engine!

In the afternoon M & I & Daly & the SNO motored out to the Sheikh's, I drove all the way there & back, about 30
miles, & quite got into the way of it. The Sheikh showed us his ponies, dogs & hawks. We sat on a long sort of mud
bench, covered with carpets, outside the house while the Sheikh's grooms rode the ponies up & down for us to see.
Really rather a disappointing show. The ponies are not at all remarkable & some look a trifle underfed, the silugis are
not as good as mine in Egypt. The hawks were very fine birds, & cost a lot to buy & feed.