Page 85 - Personal Column (Charles Belgrave)_Neat

town and soon became derelict, inhabited by a few of the Naim Arabs
weather. I was not a very good sailor and the motion of the boat, com­
and visited at intervals by the Khalifah Shaikhs, who regarded it as a
dependency of Bahrain. bined with a strong smell of cooking mutton, produced a very queasy
feeling, but fortunately I survived.
The dispute between the Naim and the Shaikh of Qatar flared up
[ was very thankful when we sighted the bleak coast of Qatar and I
again in 1937 when 1. c Shaikh tried to establish a Customs post at
lost no time in going ashore, with my two servants, and pitching my little
Zabara. The Naim complained to the Shaikh of Bahrain, and he protested
tent close to the sea some distance from the village. Though some of the
to the British at the interference of the Qatar Shaikh with liis people
village children were rather tiresome and hung around the tent the older
at Zabara. The protest, as usual, produced no result, but after some time
people were friendly and polite, but they probably thought it very strange
I was able to persuade Shaikh Hamed to agree to negotiations being
that I preferred the seashore to the company on the launch. The rest of
opened in Bahrain between the two states. Shaikh Abdulla, the Shaikh’s
the party lived on board the launches, only coming ashore for meetings.
brother, Shaikh Sulman, his eldest son, who is now the Ruler, and I
Knowing how strong was the feeling between the Bahrain Arabs and the
represented Bahrain. The Qatar spokesmen were a respectable, but
Qatar Arabs I was relieved to see that when the Shaikhs came ashore they
illiterate, relative of the Shaikh’s, and a man ofjejdi origin who was well
brought only a few people with them.
known to be persona non grata with the Bahrain Shaikhs, mainly on
account of his political views. The meetings were held in my drawing­ The meetings were held in a tent on the edge of the village; they were
attended by Shaikh Abdulla bin Jasim, the Shaikh of Qatar, an old man
room, where we were less likely to be interrupted than if we had used my
of venerable appearance. I took no active part in the discussions, leaving
office. Fortunately Marjorie was away, for it would have been very in­
the Shaikhs to do the talking, but after each meeting we discussed the
convenient for her to have a secret conclave meeting once or twice a week
results and decided on the line of action to be taken at the next session.
for about a month! We did our best to arrive at an agreement. I induced
There was no agenda, no minutes and nobody, except myself, made any
the Shaikhs to make considerable concessions, but it was of no avail, the
notes; it was very much an Arab affair. The Shaikh of Qatar had with him a
negotiations came to an end in an atmosphere of bitter animosity. It was
number of his relations and a large force of armed Bedouin who arrived
a great disappointment to me, but sometimes during those long talks I
in lorries. This show of force, which was intended to impress us, was
wondered whether the Qatar people had any real desire to achieve a
regarded as unnecessary and bad form by our people.
settlement.
We stayed in Qatar for three or four days and had a meeting each day.
Soon afterwards we tried again. Shaikh Hamed proposed, through
The atmosphere was frigid and unfriendly and I felt myself being regarded
the Political Agent, that his representatives should go to Qatar and
with unconcealed dislike by the Qatar Shaikhs and their retainers, which
discuss the matter with some of the senior members of the Thani family,
was a new and unpleasant experience for me. However, I was quite happy
who might be more easy to deal with than the very second-rate couple
in my tent, I enjoyed taking long walks in the evening and bathing in the
who had been sent to Bahrain. It was arranged that we should meet the
warm sea. The coast was different to Bahrain, there was no coral stone
Qatar people at a little fishing village called Ghariyeh on the north coast
near the shore but white sand which extended into the water; there were
of Qatar. Shaikh Abdulla, Shaikh Sulman and I, with some of the young
low sandhills with tufts of scrub growing on them, camels grazed among
Shaikhs and about thirty servants, sailors and followers crossed to Qatar
the sand dunes and I saw hares, gazelle and a desert fox; once at night I
in two launches. We had an extremely rough passage and throughout the
heard a jackal. The air was fresher and cooler than in Bahrain and it gave
trip the weather was stormy. It was the month of June and the ‘Barah*
me a tremendous appetite. The Shaikhs used to send me meals from
wind was blowing hard which made it pleasant and cool on shore but not the launches, stews of mutton and vegetables, which I ate with gusto, in
agreeable in a small, crowded launch. The launch in which I travelled
addition to the supplies which I had brought with me. It was a pleasant
was called Gazelle; it had been built for a naval captain who was at one change from Bahrain and if things had gone well I would have looked
time Senior Naval Officer, Persian Gulf. He had intended to sail it from
back on that expedition with enjoyment. We did make a little headway,
the Gulf to England, but the plan did not come off. It was a seaworthy
but we were at a disadvantage as we could not consult Shaikh Hamed
craft but, like a gazelle, it was addicted to leaping and springing in windy
about our negotiations, so after several meetings we decided to return to
154
155