‘WILFRED THESIGER’ [‎55r] (109/128)

; 53
There was no point in my trying to disguise from vlJ
him what I was doing here since he was hound to find out
and he has co-operated to the extent that he does not
intend moving from this area for some days. I have fortu
nately located for him the particular wild goat in which
he is interested. It is not an ihex and is, I believe,
called Thar and I got a head some weeks ago off one of the
locals who had shot it on Jabal Hafit. The horns were
different to those of the Indian ibex and I had kept the
head with the intention of finding out what it was. Thesiger
seized on it and will no doubt present it to the British
Museum with the appropriate subscription underneathl He is
welcome. Quite apart, however, from everything else I find
his activities most embarrassing from another point of view.
It suits his book to express his contempt for western
civilization and progress; the autombile is something to
be abhorred, an invention of the devil ( M he has never owned
one and cannot drive one to this day; the knobs on the
dashboard are a complete mystery to him; he never rides in
one if he can help it because it gives him a cold; he
always accepts a lift from me without hesitation). The
advent of oil companies on the ,, peaceful H scene of bedouin
life is bound to seduce the Arab from his Virtues n it will
destroy the bedou way of life and will substitute, in its
place, an existence vhich he doesn’t hesitate to deride. A
short time ago he slept with a rifle in his hand and awoke
at the slightest noise which occured many times every ^
night - and so on. Finally, Shaikh Shakhbut and his
brothers have more than once appealed to Thesiger, or
Mubarak as he is known locally, for advice on matters
concerning their relations with the Daula and I have no
doubt concerning the Company. I will not malign him. I
think from the little I have heard that his advice regarding
With apolog- the Dafela has been sound; concerning the Conpany, I have no
ies in that I knowledge of what he has said. But I regard him as a
was only recent-menance to our activities whilst having nothing against him
ly in a posit- personally; 1 would pay tribute to his intrepidity though, I
ion to vouch- confess, I am not a great admirer of travellers in search
safe this 0 f notoriety,
opinion.
This has developed into rather a diatribe but
I have had a very difficult passage^here with the A1 Bu
Shamis and Hai *m crowd and I am a bit jaundiced about
things at present.
If I do succeed in reaching agreement with these
people, I should most heartily resent Thesiger’s presence
in Oman. I shall not know for the next 7-8 days whether ^
I shall be moving south or not but if the first alternative
is the answer I v/ould appreciate any help you can lend
the Cocpany and, hence, my suggestion that you might care
to vi sit these parts in the next 7-8 days. I would of
course let you know how things go vi th me through Jackson
but I thought you v/ould like to be forewarned.
It is getting hot here and the west wind is
extremely unpleasant bringing with it the sand and dust
from the Enpty Quarter! I wish I could have finished
earlier but Mohammed bin Rahmah of the A1 Bu Shamis is a
hard nut — and he claims that Shaikh Suleiman wants him to
mediate between the Company and himself! God forbid!
Yours sincerely,
Sd/- Dick Bird.