Page 175 - PERSIAN 5 1905_1911

POLITICAL RESIDENCY FOP. 190iM007. 71

The suggested fine was realized with the greatest promptitude—one might even
aay, with avidity.
PIRACIES.
The hardy annual, Ahmad bin Salman, made his reappearance early in July
190G when he found two small Bahrain boats on the Dhaharan beach, the crews
of which were collecting firewood. The pirate disabled one boat, and embarked
in the other, a “ mashuwa,” taking its owner Sultan al Habaishi and its two khalasis
to navigate the vessel. He was accompanied by about 10 Bani Hajir and Al
Morra Bedouins. The party lay up in Dohat al Buraiqat for about a week, appa­
rently from stress of weather, as the Bedouins are said to have suffered much from
sea-sickness as well as from hunger. They then moved on to Dohat ’Ain as Saih,
and from there spied a boat which they failed to catch. In the course of the pur­
suit, however, they fell in, on the 14th July, with a Bahrain * boom ’ which was
taking passengers over to Katif. The latter carried only two guns, but the owners
promptly exchanged shots with the pirates and had the good fortune to kill the most
enterprising follower of Ahmad bin Salman, a member of the Al Braid section of
the Al Morra, and to inflict a scalp-w’ound upon the pirate leader himself. The
freebooters’ ardour was thereby effectively quenched. They made straight for the
mainland, buried their dead and dispersed, cursing their leader. Sultan Al Habaishi
and his crew were allowed to sail their boat quietly back to Budaiya, their home.
The pirate did not again put to sea this season, but he was heard of in the
environs of Doha (Katar) about the middle of August, when he appealed to the
hospitable instincts of one Khalid al Ghanam, a cousin of the Bin Thani Shaikhs,
and remained in his house as a guest for a few days, leaving eventually with a pre­
sent of rice and money.
With reference to the suspected case of piracy at Abu Dhaluf in Katar, men­
tioned in last year’s report, every effort was ma\le to get the Persian complainants
to return to Bahrain and reply to the defendant’s explanation of their conduct.
The Political Agent’s numerous summonses were however disregarded. It was
therefore considered sufficient that the headman of Abu Dhaluf should be informed
that the charge against his village was regarded as “ Not proven,” and that he should
be cautioned as regards the future behaviour of his people.

ARMS, SMUGGLING.
There is unfortunately no doubt that the local regulations on the subject of
the Prohibited Importation of Arms and Ammunition are flagrantly disregarded by
a Syndicate in Muharraq, in which the Chief’s eldest son is himself financially in­
terested, and there is reason to suppose that Shaikh Isa himself is not quite ignorant
of: what goes on in tliis connection. The first instance of smuggling came to light
on the 17th September 1906 through a quarrel over remuneration arising between
a Persian accomplice of the importer of the mail-steamer and a diver who was em-
ployed to find a case of rifles which had accidentally been dropped into the sea. The
diver took his complaint to the Chief, who promptly sent the disputing parties to
the Political Agency for investigation, though the actual importer and his rifles got
safely out of the harbour. In the light of after-events it seems probable that the
Chief only took this action in fear lest the affair should reach the Political Agency’s
ears from some othei source. The importer’s accomplice was ostensibly fined
Hs. 150, but it is quite possible that the money was returned to him sub rosa.
In November 1906 information was received officially from Bushirc that the
Director of the Persian Customs had discovered that a considerable quantity of
arms and ammunition was being regularly smuggled from Bahrain into Persia.'
Steps were therefore taken to have the baggage of passengers arriving by the
mail-steamers from Moskat overhauled by representatives of the Shaikh °and the
Agency.
On two occasions the Commander of H. M. S. Spliinc co-operated in this
task, and it may be mentioned that Shaikh Ksa received the Political Agent’s first
proposal for this action with evident distaste. The results, however, proved meagre
and only two cases of genuine smuggling were detected. In the first case, the Com­
mander of the Madura himself reported that four suspiciously heavy packages 0f
Hour were amongst his cargo, and on these being opened five Maskat Martini rider
ana 500 cartridges were obtained.