Page 588 - PERSIAN 5 1905_1911

92 ADMINISTRATION REPORT OF THE PERSIAN GULF
ruling powers at Riadh. There arc nine of these young men who, starting
with no following at all, seized the opportunity of Bin Saud’s absence at
Kuwait to collect all discontented Arabs in Southern Najd and set up their
own authority in A1 Harij. They had before this taken refuge at Furgaija
in A1 Hassa and through Shaikh Mubarak’s good offices three of them at least
were reconciled to Bin Saud. The reconciliation appears to have been insin-
cere for, within a month, fresh intrigues were set on foot. Finally, in early
November, Bin Saud marched against them in A1 Harij and utterly defeated
them, killing some 150 of their men, razing their new fort at Harij to the
ground and doubling the contributions in men and money formerly furnished
by the people of the district. The “ A1 Araif ” fled, some to Qatif, some to
Mecca and others to Oman. The power for evil of these pretenders should be
broken now for some considerable time to come.
Bin Sand's Raids.—In July a messenger brought news that Bin Saud
had raided the A1 Hamadan and Bin Darwish sections of the Umtair tribe,
and some of the Shammar tribe with them and had taken from them as much
as 4,000 camels in loot. The raid took place in the vicinity of the Athain
Nakhal wells in Ibn Rashid’s territory and half way between Boraida and
Hail.
During the last week of August a report reached Kuwait that the Beni
Thamin inhabitants of El Houtha village had conspired with the people of El
Harij (probably under instructions from the A1 Araif) to murder the headmen
in charge of Bin Saud’s fort in El Harij. An attempted ruse and surprise
were suspected with the result that the four leading conspirators lost their
heads, while some 80 of the villagers were killed before the fort was captured.
Bin Saud and the Sharif of Mecca.—One of the noteworthy events of
the year was the excursion made by the Sharif of Mecca into Najd and its
affairs. The Sharif appears to have left Taif on his own responsibility with
some 200 followers and the horsemen of the Atevba tribe as escort He sent
letters asking for provisions, money etc., to Shaikh Mubarak, the Sultan of
Maskat, and most other Arab Chiets and gave out that his object was to re­
assert the Sharif’s authority over the Kasim province, an authority which has
been in abeyance since the days of Ibrahim Pasha’s Egyptian expedition into
Arabia. Counting on the perennial feud between Bin Saud and Ibn Rashid,
he asked the latter to aid him with fighting men in his advance on Riadh.
The Sharif reached Duadarai in Southern Kasim before be realized that no
support would be forthcoming from Hail owing to the recently concluded
peace between the rival chiefs of Central Arabia. At the same time Bin
Saud arrived within two days’ march of his camp with a large force, news of
which immediately caused the Sharif’s Bedouin following to melt away. The
Sharif having one of Bin Saud’s brothers in his power made the best of a bad
business by sending Bin Saud a conciliatory letter, explaining he had not come
in war but to ascertain the truth or falsity of reports current in Mecca as to
Bin Saud’s government. Bin Saud replied with'munificent presents and the
Sharif then made use of Bin Saud’s anxiety for his brother to extract a
document to the effect that S6.000 of the Kasim revenue should be paid by Bin
Saud to the Sharif, that Bin Saud should leave the Ateyba tribe in peace,
referring complaints against them to the Sharif, and that be should always
assist the Turkish Government to the best of his power if men should be
required for the Turkish army.
Bin Saud probably has no intention of keeping these terms, and the
Sharif has no power to enforce them without Turkish assistance.
No meeting actually took place between them, and the Sharif then return­
ed to Mecca, after which fulsome reports began to appear in the Egyptian
Arabic papers as to Bin Saud’s loyalty.
As a result of a good season, which made fodder abundant and water
less scarce in the desert, raids and ooun-
Tribal Politic!. ter-raids have been rather more fre-
quent than was the case last year.
Saud-bin-Lami, Shaikh of the Jiblan Umtair, who was mentioned ns
wanted by Shaikh Mubarak in last year’s report, was at last caught nappiD£