Page 380 - Arabian Gulf Intellegence

336 JO ASM EES.

I!
He nevertheless hesitated to expel Syud bin Mootluk and his party
(which had been destined to form a garrison for Brymce) from his
territory, fearing lest the Aboolhabee Chief, or some other neighbouring
enemy, might receive them into his country and alliance but at a
general meeting of the maritime chieftains, convened in the presence
and through the influence of the Assistant Resident, on board a British
vessel, Shaikh Khalccfa bin Shakbool having pledged himself
on
I oath, to Shaikh Sultan, neither to admit this party nor any others sent by
the Egyptian commander, nor to ally himself in any way with him the
latter sent to Syud bin Mootluk to desire him to quit his country, and
return to Nujd ; but on that person’s producing letters from the Egyptian
commander to the several Shaikhs of Oman, to the ellcct that he was his
envoy, and that, therefore, whoever opposed him would be considered
inimical to the Egyptian cause, finally withdrew his demand, and
*
acquiesced in his remaining, pending the return of the messenger he
had despatched for instructions.
Shaikh Sultan, deceived in his expectation that the Chiefs ofBrymee
.
would place themselves under his authority, in order to secure his
support in their contest with the Beniyas Chief, with a view to which
!
lie had directed all the tribes under his control to abstain from afford-
ing them (the Naeem) the assistance they had hitherto done, now that
the Brymee Shaikhs made peace with Shaikh Khaleefa,* had cause
deeply to regret his short-sighted policy, which had the very opposite
effect to that anticipated and desired, his ill-timed neutrality not even
saving his own districts from aggression; for two of Shaikh Khaleefa’s
inland tribes foraying his territories, that chief, in reply to his remon­
strances, excused himself from returning any of the plundered property,
by falsely alleging that the tribes in question were not under his orders,
but those of the Egyptian authorities at Lahsa.
Two Debaye men having been killed in the desert, owing to their
having been mistaken for men of the Monasir Tribe, by a party of
six individuals of different tribes, of whom two belonged to that of Ab-
doolla bin Rashid, Shaikh of Amulgavinc (who had long since thrown
off any real allegiance to the Joasmee Chief), that chief, on discoveiing
the error, lost no time in proceeding to Shargah, in order to settle the
affair, by paying his share of the Dceah, or price of blood, on the be­
half of his two followers. The amende was not accepted, and the
attempts of the Resident shortly after to effect a reconciliation also
failing, the parties were left to adopt their own means by land, pro­
of the Maritime Truce, of
eluded from hostilities by sea by the terms
which a period of two months remained yet unexpired.

* Vide Sketch of the Beniyas.