Page 185 - The Pirate Coast (By Sir Charles Belgrave)

it to pieces. He then dug his hand into the rice, first placing a
piece of fowl on the rice, which he did with a thin piece of un­
leavened bread. He then kneaded the piece of fowl with the rice
into a ball, as large as the mouth could well contain, which was
placed in the two front fingers of the right hand, and by a sudden
jerk of the thumb he chucked it into his mouth.’
Loch says that between each mouthful, the Shaikh dipped his
fingers in water; if this was the case fashion in table manners must
have changed for at Arab meals, it is customary to rinse the hands
only before and after the meal. Today, instead of sherbet, which
used to be made of pomegranate juice, the guests would be given
Pepsi Cola, or some such bottled beverage, the chickens would
probably be frozen birds imported from America, and the meal
would be completed with Walls’ ice cream. It is surprising that,
on such an occasion, a sheep, or even a goat, had not been provided
for the feast, but perhaps there was a shortage of them at that time.
After dinner Shaikh Abdulla dismissed most of the Arabs from
the barasti, and although he had been present at the discussion at
Rafaa on the previous day, he once again expressed his doubts
about the intentions of the British. He found it difficult to accept
the assurances of Loch and Bruce and feared that the British might
adopt a policy of supporting the Persians, the Sultan, or even
Rahmah bin Jabr, all of whom had pretensions to Bahrain.
Again Loch and Bruce reiterated their assurances that the British
had no intention of interfering with the independence of Bahrain.
To emphasise this Loch told Shaikh Abdulla of the reply which
he had given to the messenger from ‘that bloodthirsty old Pirate,
Rahmah bin Jabr’. Coffee and a hubble-bubble were then
handed round and Loch and Bruce, escorted by the Shaikh,
walked down to the shore and embarked in their boat.
Shaikh Abdulla bin Ahmed, for whom Loch had such a dis­
taste, had a long and turbulent life after Loch left the Gulf. Until
1825, when his brother, Sulman, died, he continued as joint ruler.
During these years, the two brothers defended their country
against Rahmah bin Jabr who was killed in 1826, and against
Rahmah’s son, Bishr who carried on the feud against the Khalifah
in much the same manner as his father until he too was killed.
Shaikh Sulman was succeeded by his son Khalifah who became
joint Ruler with his uncle Abdulla, but Khalifah was killed near
Katif, fighting against the Wahabis. The Bahrain Shaikhs had
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