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152 The Origins of the United Arab Emirates

o[ l\lc incident. He approached Sa‘id bin Maktum, who admitted
liis inability to deal with the matter; proof of this came when
his cousins refused his request to meet with the Naval Officer.2
The ease was not settled until 29 August, when Sa‘id finally was
able to prevail upon his cousins to call on the agent, apologise,
and make reparations.3
This capitulation did little to restore Sa'id's authority, and three
years later, on 23 September 1934, his cousins tried, unsuccessfully,
to kill him. In desperation, Sa‘id turned to the British authorities
for help. On 21 October he saw the Senior Naval Officer and
told him that an attempt to depose him was shortly to be made.
He said he was torn between his duty as ruler and his obligations
to Britain; he knew he could rely on the help of the bedouin
to put down his opponents, but he was afraid of the trouble it
would cause, especially to the Indian merchants living in Dubai,
for whose safety lie was responsible.1
The Senior Naval Officer recommended that some form of help
be given to Sa‘id. The recommendation was based on humane
considerations, for he was convinced that the ruler was indeed
torn between two forces and needed support. But Fowle, as Political
Resident, vigorously objected. He saw no reason to interfere in
the internal affairs of Dubai, but asked for a sloop to lake the
Residency Agent to Dubai with a message: Shaykh Sa‘id was to
do as he saw fit with regard to the movement against him, but
any lapse in the protection of British lives and property would
be severely reprimanded.5 The message was delivered on 27 October
by K. S. Husayn bin Hasan ‘Imad, Assistant Residency Agent,
‘Isa bin ‘Abd al-Latif being ill at the time. It had a powerful
effect on the population, who assumed it meant that the British
Government was openly supporting Sa‘id.6 The same day, Sa‘id
held a majlis, to which the sons of Rashid and Butti were not
invited. He reaffirmed his position, and demanded obedience. The
Al-bu-Falasah admitted his rights, but asked that the sons of Rashid
and Butti be interviewed. Long discussions followed, till on 30
October it was reported that Sa‘id was going to exile his cousins—a
decision about which he later changed his mind.
On 31 October, Colonel Loch, the Political Agent in Bahrain,
arrived in Dubai and had an interview with Shaykh Sa‘id. The
next day, a number of Manasir bedouin entered Dubai at the
invitation of the ruler. They received money from Sa‘id, and then
returned to their camp outside the town. Feeling strengthened by
this open display of his allies, Sa‘id met with his rebellious cousins
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in order to obtain their oath of loyalty. On 2 November, Hashar
bin Rashid visited Sa‘id and took the oath on behalf of his three
brothers. On 3 November, Sa‘id asked the Al-bu-Falasah for a

I