Page 2205 - Belgrave Diaries(N)_Neat

2202

1945

Spent most of the morning hearing appeal cases with Sh Abdulla. One hears much of interest & a good deal
of "low down" on people here over the cases, there is nothing about them that Sh A does not know. We got
most of them finished. Discussing Matems he said they are used for every sort of purpose, for laying out
corpses, for dinners, readings, meetings for the travellers to stay in, as an example they spoke of Mohd al
Araydh's old matem, a very picturesque place. Thompson came in before the court & afterwards I saw Ahd
Effendi & a young Kanor also Holloway's man & Sh Khalifah. Some Omanis have come & are doing stunts
like the Dervishes in Cairo used to, sticking nails through their arms, all very well on themselves but they do
it to other people & one boy treated thus is in hospital.

Rode after lunch to the Port Fort on the way back Bilal came off & Wadhna ran away, I pursued her into
Manama & she was eventually caught & I led her in & returned to pick up Bilal who was not much the
worse.