"دليل الخليج. مجلد I. القسم التاريخي. الأجزاء Iأ و Iب. ج.ج. لوريمر ١٩١٥" [‎٨‎٢‎٦] (١٧٨٢/٩٨١)

2#
826
was
Assassination
of Shaikh
Ahmad and
seqae], Dec
ember 1905.
Tribal
matters,
1905-06.
spite o£ his great age^ probably well over 80 years, Shaikh Jasim
found in excellent health and full possession of his faculties ; he appeared
to be keenly interested in all matters of business.
In December 1905, shortly after Captain Prideaux's visit, Shaikh
Ahmad was murdered by one of his own servants, a Bani Hajir, on
account of a private grudge ; it was generally suspected that Khalifah,
the eldest son of Shaikh Jasim, had also been privy to the crime. The
old Shaikh proved himself quite capable of dealing with the emergency,
for he obliged the elders of the Jiani Hajir to resort in a submissive
manner to his camp, where they gave an undertaking to hunt down and
execute the murderer. At the close of one of his discussions with them
an untoward incident occurred in the shape of a sadden and murderous
attack on Salim-bin-Shafi', chief Shaikh of the Makhadhdhabah division
of the Baui Hajir, by a slave of the deceased ; but, connection with the
deed having been emphatically repudiated by the Al Thani, the progress
of the negotiations was not disturbed. A few weeks later the murderer of
Shaikh Ahmad was shot dead in Dhahran by Bashir, a nephew of
Salim-bin-Shafi , and the feud arising from the death of Ahmad was
declared closed. One result of the murder of Ahmad was to leave
Abdullah, the fourth son of Jasim, in charge of Dohah, wherebv he
was considered to have obtained an advantage over his eldest brother
Khalifah in respect of the ultimate succession to Shaikh Jasim. It was
noticeable that the Turks abstained very carefully from meddling in the
nomination of the new Shaikh of Dohah, and that they left the matter
entirely to Shaikh Jasim; but, notwithstanding their respect for his
independence m tribal matters, his foreign relations continued to be
controlled by the Turkish military commandant of the Dohah fort. In
November 1906 an attempt was made on the life of Shaikh 'Abdullah
by a negro slave, who was not shot down until he had killed two
persons.
in April 1906 Shaikh Ahmad of Dohah headed a raid by Al
Morrah and Bani Hajir of the Makiadhdhabah division on 'Aiman
am Khahd of the 'Amair section and Bani Hajir of the Al
uhammad d.vision, who were then encamped in the Jafurah desert;
«ome spoil in the shape of flocks was obtained, but the raider,
lost five men kdled. In May 190« Shaikh 'Abdullah of Doha),
undertook a small punitive expedition against the predatory Bani
ed t T tribeB ; ai ' d " July he a ^ i " Bedouins,
1 c ceding himself as far as D6hat-as-Salwa and sending a party by
whom twelve Bedouins were killed, through Barr-al-Q.rah tlmost as for