Page 645 - Belgrave Diaries(N)_Neat

643

1931

Wednesday 25th [February]

Office, very busy. Dame came in to hear what had been done about the water at the back of the town, he says there is an awful
lot of fever about now and increasing because of that breeding place. He had a look at my garden and admired it very much.
Didnt go to Shia school meeting. Dinner at the Dames, Prior and Thomas were there. Prior is very fed up with him and says
he is sick of hearing about the colour of the sand and the heights and descriptions of sand hills etc which is apparently about all
he has to talk about as he met no people and saw no animals. Dinner at the Mission was quite deplorably bad and as usual
tasted of parrafin, and they had a most dangerous looking red liquid to drink. Thomas held forth most of the time so I talked to
Tiff who is very angry with Parke who had been pulling her leg about the firing of the cannon.

Thursday 26th Feb 1931

Court, the first one since Ramadan. I went over to the Agency after sitting for about an hour and left Shaikh Sulman to carry
on, Kozaibi had asked Prior to arbitrate in the case about his claim to the ground south of the town which we, the Government,
do not admit. He brought in Zayani and Fakroo and we sat round a table in the Agency court for some time looking over the
papers and the plans, then we heard my witnesses, Haji Seggar and another man and then all went out to see the place and
spent about an hour walking about there and looking at the boundaries. The case was quite clear and Prior formed the same
opinion as I did so Kozaibi's boundaries will be where I supposed them to be just the edge of the deep water of the swamp
nearest to the road. Kozaibi seemed rather annoyed and tried to make out that one of the graves in the Jews' cemetery was an
old boundary pillar, but even his own people said that it was not. Abdel Aziz was present though the fault was not his as the
land was bounded when he was away. The Biladya have fixed up a pump on the south edge of the water in order to take it
away. Two flying boats came in the morning with the new Air Vice Marshall from Iraq, one Ludlow Hewitt I left a card on
him in the afternoon but they were out so went out in the car. Played Bridge at the Fort before dinner and dined at the Agency.
The A.V.M. seemed quite a pleasant person, Bentley was there too and Ubee who is apparently Staff officer, rather a bounder.
They all seemed very sleepy having been flying all day. Thomas held forth a good deal. Ubee asked me to stay with them at
the mess in Baghdad when I went up there, I didnt really want to but could think of no excuse on the spur of the minute so
accepted. I shall get out of it as they live a long way out which would be very inconvenient. Good dinner. The A.V.M. asked
a lot about Bahrain, about the pearl trade and various things and seemed very interested. Bentley also invited me to go and
stay with them at Basra if I had time I shall probably go there to lunch or whatever meal I have there.

Friday [27 February]
Wrote letters in the morning and then went out for a sail with Prior, the doctor was sailing too, it was really very nice indeed as
the weather was pleasant, sunny and not too cold, quite hot in the sun. As usual they raced which I always think rather a bore,
I prefer going sailing in an ordinary way. I steered at times and at times took the sail. Then to the bank where we played
Bridge. Took Parke back to the fort in my car. Not at home as the drawing at the Agency is having the floor relaid, wood this
time. The two flying boats went off. Went out in the car after tea, drove out to Aali and did a painting of the tombs from the
far side, not up to much, but on the way home I found a far better place to do them from and just drew it in, it was too late to
paint it. Then to a tea party given by the Indian Sports Club as a farewell show to Mafalan at Ashraf's house. Prior and I were