Page 727 - Belgrave Diaries(N)_Neat

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1932

had landed near the new road and had taken all the wood of his boat and gone off along the sea road. Drove down the
sea road and saw the tail end of a mob, with sticks and things in their hands, going along the sea road making a lot of
noise, they were so many and so solid that I turned off by the club intending to go round and meet them but I took the
wrong turning and got stuck so went on to the Bank and left the car there and ran down to the Police Station with
Sulman and a couple of men who had joined us. There was a great noise down on the sea front, we founded the corner
and saw a mob opposite the Police station and apparently stretching right along the sea road and the lock up all broken
open, the railings torn down and the door into the Police lock up broken open and two men, Police, with rifles on guard
over the office. The mob looked mostly blacks and I thought there were a lot of Somalis among them. Great confusion
and excitement. Found that one of the men I had put into prison had been rescued so I hurriedly sent the rest up to the
fort through the town with a few men. The mob hovered about opposite and crowds of people came down from the
bazaar and looked on, Prior arrived in his car having driven right through them and had his car hit about a bit, we
discussed what to do, some naturs arrived so we left them and dashed up to the fort. I had already sent a note from the
office at once ordering 30 men to come down at once, the Police and naturs stood on guard at the Police station with
loaded rifles. Got the men out of the fort as fast as possible leaving the 16 new men as a garrison, met a lorry which
we commandeered and put the men in and raced back to the Police Office. D.G. appeared and became tremendously
warlike and much in the way till I packed him off to look after the Customs. Shaikh Rashid appeared, he had been
helping to keep the divers off and was in front of them with a stick trying to drive them back, one man against the
whole crowd, but he behaved wonderfully well. Got the Punjabis out of the lorry, lined them up and charged at the
crowd who didnt turn and run away as I expected them to do. More naturs arrived and some Arab Police, there was a
real fight, the Indian Police tackled the divers with the butts of their rifles and gave them beans, then the naturs started
shooting and there was a lot of very wild shooting, but I myself didnt see anyone hit, every now and then the divers
retired a bit along the sea road so we followed them up, suddenly found Hamood at my side with a rifle and a sword
and a huge knobkerry which he was doing a great deal of service with, Shaikh Rashid was with me and went for them
good and fine, and the Police and naturs had hand to hand fights all along the road and we chucked the men over the
wall into the sea, some I drove into the water near Mespers by just driving the car into them. All the time there were
rifles going off all round in the vaguest way. Finally the sea all along the front was full of men wading out to some
boats which they seized and got sailing and started off to Muharrak, most of them almost swamping as they were so
full. Prior was in the middle of it all the time too and we both really enjoyed it. There were some wonderful fights,
one of the Indians had his head broken open and went absolutely mad and dashed at the divers whirling his rifle round
and crashing it down on their heads. I afterwards found that five rifles were broken this way. I saw a lot of men badly
damaged and covered with blood. The divers all took to their heels so I with the Indians, Hamood and a collection of
Police and naturs, and Shaikh Rashid took the Agency launch and another launch and went to Muharraq to head them
off. Got there, found all quiet so went round the shore and caught a few men who were coming ashore there and put
men on all the lanes that led to the sea. Near Bin Hindi well we found a man dead, shot. They had brought him across
from Manama, after scouring the town and marching all along ... round the back we went back to the Customs and soon
the Amir and Shaikh Abdulla and some other shaikhs arrived and we went up into the Customs room upstairs. They
left me for a bit and I got some bread and bananas as I was very hungry and it was three oclock. Sat there for a while
and then they all came back with lots of other people. Sent out some cars to Hedd to hear what was going on, they
reported all well but great excitement. Came down and found a huge crowd and two dead men laid out, like pheasants
after a shoot, in the middle of the space and a lot of Shaikhs and their men all with swords and rifles and daggers. Sat
down for some time and then wrote a proclamation saying that what had happened had happened and all divers were
now to go diving, they took the men away and buried them and I came home with the remnants of my army leaving the
20 Indian Police at Muharraq. We took the prisoners back with us, one of them shot through the chest, but he seemed