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PERMIAN GULF POLITICAL RESIDENCY, 1020. 79

the effect that, after the return of Ibn Tawalah and Da’ij from the south,
Shakh Salim lmd sent out three raiding parties against Najd, one of which
had actually reached llumah, one and a half days from Riyadh, and captured
a large number of camels.
The Mulair under Faisal-ad-Dawish had hotly pursued the raiders as
far as Jahrah where the fight had taken place. Although Shaikh Salim had had
tho advantage in numbers and position, tlicy had been victorious and Shaikh
Salim had taken refuge in the fort and begged for peace. Dawish had replied that
ho would refor to Ibn Sa’ud, and had moved to Subaihiyah to await his orders.
They had lost a hundred killed and two hundred wounded. The Kuwait
casualties wore not known, but bad been very heavy. Ibn Sa’ud had all along
feared that the concentration of Ibn Tawalah’s Shammar at Jahrnli under
Shaikh Salim’s war-flag had meant trouble, and he had reported his fears.
He had sent his cousin Abdul, Aziz at-Turki to keep his tribes in hand. Alth­
ough he attached little importance to the whole affair, he hastened to inform
Ilis Majesty’s Government.
It is strange, to say the least of it, that Ibn Sa’ud had heard nothiug of a
raid by Shaikh Salim’s men oue and a half day from Riyadh, until informed by
Dawish from Subaihiyah. It is also strange that Jufran al-fabm, Dawish’s
envoy in Kuwait, did not mention these raids to the Political Agent, Kuwait,
but maintained instead that the Iklnvan wore operating against Shaikh Salim
by Ibn Sa’ud’s direct orders. For the above two reasons, and also from the
fact that- his statement of thejkhwan casualties at Jahrah is definitely known
to be untrue, one is inclined tov doubt that there is any truth at all in Dawiah’s
story of these raids.
’Abdul ’Aziz at-Turki, mentioned in Ibn Sa’uJ’s letter, or Abu Dha’ar
as he is known in Kuwait, has beep mentioned in reports received in Kuwait
as being in Sudah, and trying to incite the Ajrnan and other tribes to make
common cause with the Ikhwan agajnst Kuwait, but the reliability of these
reporls is not above suspicion.
Towards the end of November the village of .Tahrah, which had been
abandoned since the battle, was reoccupied by Shaikh Salim, and the making
of fortifications there was taken in hanch He was told that although there
was, of course, no objection to his reoccupying the village, the High
Commissioner trusted that he would not again hoist his wav flag or maintain
an abnormal garrison there, to which heweplied that he had no intention ar.
present of maintaining a largo force there under his war-flag, but merely a
sm all garrisou for the protection of the village \itself.
In a letter dated 12th November Ibn Sa’tid acknowledged tbo receipt of
the High Commissioner’s ruling regarding the non-occupation of Subaihiah
by either party. He said that he accepted thu\ruling and guaranteed that
there would he no further attack on Kuwait, nor ^ould Subailhiah or Jahrah
he occupied by his troops, provided His Majesty’s Government guaranteed
that no hostile move or advance were made from Kuwait, and that no tribes
hostile to him, like the Shamraar, went to Shaikh Salim, end further that none
of his disloyal tribes, like the Mutair, .Ajrnan, etc., were seduced or sheltered
by Shaikh Salim. If, however, Shaikh Salim made any move from Kuwait
or approached Jahrah or SubaiLiyah, he would not hold linpself responsible
for the result.
The above letter was apparently delayed in transit andbefoie it was
received in Bahrain, Ibn Sa’ud’s reply to the High Commissioner’s invitation
to Basrah, dated 18th November, had arrived there. He refused to come to
Basrah, as he bad contracted a severe indisposition as a result of his visit to
« Uqair; bis presence in Najd was necessary at the time, as it was the season
for the general tribal migrations which required special control ; and he had
received a report (which proved to he baseless) that the Amir ‘Abdullah was
at - Hail. lie offered to accept the High Commissioner’s ruling regarding his
dispute with Kuwait in his absence. In a private letter of the same date to
the Political Agent, Bahrain, he asked him whether lie did not agree that it
would be greatly lowering to his dignity to go to Basrah.