Page 22 - Records of Bahrain (4) (ii)_Neat

324 Records of Bahrain
Tagc 2.
sandhills. They turned out to he a deputation fro/n the re­
fugees, and their object was to ask Shaikh Hamad for aosis-

tunce. Mthough he is not interested in their case since-'
they are Shiahst and fit objoctn for persecution, Hin Excell
lency told them that Bahrain and Hasa were just the same,
and if they wished they could come and live here. They men­
tioned the property they had left behind, and he then said
that they had better see me, and I underloox to hear them ne

next day. •n amusing piece of comic relief was provided
by the servant n,v/ho we re only able to start on the remains
of the. lunch os the deputation approached, and whose anxiety
to consume as much as possible before the deputation v/ere
invited to share it;was mo3t diverting to behold.
1 4. The instructions contained in your T .7:7: of to­
days date arrived in time, and the first two men who inter­
viewed me were clearly Bahrain subjects, having been born in
the Islands,and having only left it in the last eight years.
I accordingly said that I would give them letters of good
offices to the .\mir. I asked them v/hut they had to complain

of, and they replied ‘ Nothing yet, but that they feared grjR
greatly.• One of them mode a most illuminating remark. He
stated that as he v/as known to be a Bahraini, lie had not
been molested, but that he wanted something to show in case*'
they changed their tactics. This shows that our interference
on behalf of, or protection of genuine Bahama, is expected,
• •:
: : for nothing else would have persuaded the Amir's men to
i .
lc*ve him alone.
5. Later Some twenty Shiahs came to see me, and -of
\ these only one could make any real claim to being a Bahrain •
)
r subject. I asked them Y/hat they v/anted, and they said ' Help
!
’ I asked how they could be helped, and they said that the
British Government could not bear to see their sufferings •
unmoved, and must protect them. I showed them cloarly that
1 they had no claim on us, and thoy only replied that if WG

could not help them, it was better that thoy ohould
N
!\