Page 100 - Personal Column (Charles Belgrave)_Neat

Paris. It was Shaikh Sulman’s first visit to Europe, previously he had never loader* to the Qatar Shaikh. I did not envy him his job as Abdulla
travelled farther west than Cairo. Daewish's grating voice constantly echoed through the ship, shouting
The Shaikh arrived at Beirut on the evening of May 13th; there was for the Englishman as if he were one of the servants. The Qatar party had
the usual official reception, Guards of Honour and escorts of police in brought on board a number of live sheep, and one night they gave an
cars and on motor-bicycles with screaming syrens, which swung round Arab dinner to which they invited us and some of the ship’s officers and
the sharp corners of the crowded streets with alarming speed. In Bahrain passengers. The ship’s food was so good that personally I regretted
official progresses were slow affairs, but in other Middle East countries having to eat mutton and rice instead of an excellent European dinner.
speed and noise are characteristic of such processions. Next day the Our people considered it most unfortunate that we could not reciprocate
Shaikh called on the British Ambassador, visited the American University with another dinner, but we did not travel with a flock of sheep.
and met the Bahrain students who were there and attended a luncheon The Shaikh did not go ashore at Alexandria. The political atmosphere
party which was given by President Shamoon. It was an excellent lun­ was chilly and already Egypt was beginning to broadcast abusive remarks
cheon with many kinds of local dishes and quantities of fruit which in about Bahrain. But some of the Qatar party landed and came back laden
Bahrain was difficult to obtain. The President was a handsome man and a with purchases, scent, watches and shoes—Shaikh Ahmed’s small boy,
courteous host, but some of his colleagues who were at the party seemed quite a nice child, bought six pairs. This same child, when he was about
to be distrait because, as usual, there was a political crisis in the Lebanon. six years old, was given a miniature motor-car, with an engine. It cost
In the afternoon we went on board the S.S. Esperia, an Italian ship, which about .£400 and was sent out by air to the tune of another £150- Within
was to take us to Venice. One of my cousins, who was with the Iraq Petro­ two months it was smashed and discarded, but as the little boy had £100
leum Company, lived in Beirut and his brother, in the Foreign Service, a month for pocket money he was able to buy another ‘toy’.
who had been stationed in Baghdad with his wife and three small As usual, on the last day of the voyage, there was a ‘gala’ dinner and
daughters, was travelling home on leave in the same ship. At one time, dance to which the second-class passengers were invited. Knowing what
before wc sailed, there were nine Bclgraves on board the ship—quite a these entertainments were like I wondered beforehand what the Arabs
family party! would make of it. There was a profusion of things to throw and to make
One of the main complications of the journey was that Shaikh noises with, and after a slight hesitation the Arabs entered into the fun
Ahined bin Ali, the eldest son of the Shaikh of Qatar, accompanied by the with great zest. Two elderly English ladies were obviously very gratified
ubiquitous Abdulla Darwish, was also on the ship on his way to England at having a paper streamer thrown at them by the Shaikh of Bahrain, who
to represent his father at the Coronation. Qatar and Bahrain were not on sat in a chair in the centre of the saloon and became a most popular target.
good terms, though this perhaps is a mild description of the situation, and At Venice we stayed at the Gritti Palace Hotel on the Grand Canal;
wc did not wish to make the journey through Europe en famille with the it was luxurious and there were some very fine pictures in some of
large Qatar party which included several children and a number of very the rooms. When I told the Shaikh that the pictures probably added to
uncivilized negro ‘slaves’. I found that they proposed to stay at the same the cost of the rooms he said, ‘Why don’t they take them away?’ Our
places en route as we did. I had to ensure that we stayed at different hotels party did not show much enthusiasm for Venice; they insisted that it must
at Venice and at Montrcux—perhaps they too were trying to do the same be unhealthy owing to the water and regretted that the canals had not
thing, for several times I had to send cables cancelling hotel reservations been filled in to make roads so that cars could drive up to the doors of the
and reserving rooms in other hotels. hotels. The day which the Shaikh most enjoyed was when he and his son
We had a pleasant, calm voyage to Venice which was a restful change and ourselves drove to Asalo, a lovely little hill town on the foothills of
after the very busy time which I had been having before I left Bahrain, the Dolomites, about forty miles inland, to have luncheon with Frcva
and good preparation for the strenuous time which lay ahead The two Stark. Her house was delightful; we lunched in a flower-filled garden,
parties mixed to a certain extent on board, but at meals wc sat on one side and afterwards the Shaikh took a siesta and in the afternoon she took us to
of the saloon and the Qatar party sat on the other side. A young English­
tea at a magnificent Palladian villa belonging to the Volpi family.
man belonging to the Iraq Petroleum Company was acting as ‘bear Our next stop was Montrcux, my ‘home town’. It was beautiful
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