Page 721 - Belgrave Diaries(N)_Neat

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1932

one house we found a lot of arak but in the other we found none though I am sure they had it somewhere. We were
very late as I waited for the people to leave the coffee shops in the square. While we were raiding Haji Sulman arrived
looking very much put out, he does not like me taking such an active part in these things and it is said that he gets paid
by the arak makers to keep quiet about them, which is very likely. The Jews houses were very large and very dirty and
seemed to be very full of stuff of all sorts, furniture and things.

Wednesday 11th [May]

Went down to the Joint Court to see the Shaikh, he seemed rather put out about something. Abdulla was there and
when Prior came along we had a long talk about the drink business and about Abdulla's son, he repeated more or less
what he had said to me, that he was drunk always and went about all night and slept all day. The Shaikh looked very
shocked and tried to make Abdulla take all the responsibility saying that as he was his father it was his show, but
Abdulla said it was a matter for the Shaikh as he is the head of the family. Abdulla said it would be a good thing if he
did himself in which shocked the Shaikh very much. It was decided that he is to be summoned on Wednesday and we
all of us will talk to him and say if he does not stop drinking he will be banished. They are all afraid of the Bahrain
Ruling family becoming like the Muscat Sultan's relations who are all drunkards. Shaikh Khalaf came to see me and
stayed a very long time which was a bore as I was very busy. Saw the Amir of Muharrak and talked about doing some
raids over there. Abdulla bin Jabr came in yesterday and I mentioned the matter to him but he seemed to disapprove of
my energies in the liquor line. I think perhaps he thinks I may get onto some of his friends. Raided a house in the
afternoon with the acting Amir, got all the doings but no arak. Dined with the D.Gs, Russell was there, after dinner I
raided two more houses with some success, both were Iraqis. I hear that the public are very pleased indeed about this
and they are all saying why was it not done before by the Police, why indeed?

Thursday [12 May]

Fort in the morning, the new recruits are getting on well. Beat a man who tried to escape from prison. Called on the
Kadis in the morning with Mohamed Khalil about a case which they have been dealing with in which a man sold some
wakf property having registered it with us as actual property and with them as wakf, they are partly to blame in the
matter. Steele came round. Slept in the afternoon as I was up late last night and then went over to Muharraq to count
the votes for the municipal election, it took some time. There was a deputation of people from Hedd asking for more
police and an Amir as there have been so many thefts in the town lately. Motored out with Shaikh Abdulla to the land
which Shaikh Mohamed wanted near where the Baluchis are living and then went to the customs to see the Amir. He
advised leaving Muharraq for a few days and then carrying out six raids in one evening at once. He is getting
information about the arak there. Very nice on the sea though a hot day.

Friday 13th May 1932

Went out after a late breakfast with Hamood and Ali, the office boy, to a garden near the tomb of Seyd Adnan where I
had been told a man called Georgis, an Iraqi Christian, was manufacturing arak. We were met there by Juma the
gardener and a friend of his who live in a village close by. We found a lot of tins of tomatoe juice in the garden set out