Coll 17/34 ‘Iraq. Tour in the Persian Gulf of H.M. Ambassador in Iraq’ [‎13r] (25/98)

I 0 not like Kutbft «taoK awsgf In th« middle of a remote desert
but 1* at a port served by the British India 8tea* navigation
Company. Shares la of some Importance as a centre for the
ftoyal Air Force. On the night when we were tnere there were
two Blenheims from Karachi and two fro* Shalba (near Baara;
which had been out all day searching for the Ill-fated
Hannibal which had disappeared between Jaak and Sharia on the
previous day. Wo were lucky enough to find Captain Howoa the
political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. for the Truoial coast (a post which has been
created for the duration of the present war) stationed at bharja
and he very kindly took us for a snort trip by car. We visited
a watch-tower In which five or eix picturesque eut-tbroata were
ensconced about halfway up; they let theaaelvea down by a rope
in order to greet ua and show us their ancient muakets which
looked as dangerous for the marksman as for hit* mark. The
whole scene was strangely remote from present-day reality
elsewhere. In the Immediate vicinity hostilities were in
progress with the neighbouring tiny t-hnikhdo® of Dubai. Shaikh
? an ft. a rebellious cousin of the halkh of mbal had taken refuge
at Sharjaj his presence there was a source of suspicion and
offence to the Shaikh of Dubai and had thus resulted in the
present hostilities. It might have been prudent or at least
tactful of Shaikh an ft. to seek refuge further afield, but his
flight had been a very natural precaution since not many months
ago certain other notables of Dubai who were believed by the
Shaikh to have conspired against him had h*d their eyes put out.
The whole trouble originated, if 1 understood the complicated
story aright, in an unsuccessful attempt to establish an
executive council and thus curtail the bhalkfe's powers,
hostilities between Hbarjm and Dubai were proceeding in a
leisurely fashion and had resulted in four casualties up to that
date. The two towns did not seem to be much affected but
communications between the® by land were interrupted and I was
told/