'File 73/7 II (D 22) Status of Koweit [Kuwait] - Baghdad railway, Anglo Turkish negotiations' [‎139v] (284/540)

After filling up all water-skins marched at 11. A. M. climbing out of the
depression by a rather bad track on to the northern plateau, which after a short
time turned out to carry any amount of the most succulent green fodder, ground
herbage of various kinds, most of them in flower. One especially liked by the
camels is called" shigara " and has a purple flower which when seen in large
masses at some distance gives the appearance of heather. As camels were
marching slow we decided to make a short day of it and halted at 1-30 p. m.
between two knolls with the " jada " (main road) from As-Safa to Hafar some
distance away to our left. Zaid got a couple of hubara to-day.
M February. —Marched at 8-50 a.m. keeping through excellent^ grazing
when at 10-15 a.m. a dust-cloud on the horizon showed up and was diagnosed
as a party of horsemen obviously making for a raid on us. Camels were made
to kneel as hurriedly as possible, each man got his rifle and ammunition and
hurried off to adjacent hillocks taking cover in the most approved light infantry
style, the cook remaining on guard over the camels with a gun and a supply of
No. 5 shot cartridges! The attack had developed by this time and my glasses
showed about 20 to 30 horsemen galloping at their best pace for us in a wide
enveloping semi-circle. The men were told not to fire until the raiders were
close as they might prove to be friends, but a few wild shots from the attackers
started my camel men off and their shooting was execrable. It did not last
very long for as the raiders got up to us and galloped through making for our
camels, we heard their war-cry " Haif, Haif, Al-Umtair, Al-Umtair". Immediately
my Bedouins heard this they waved their rifles and head-kerchiefs yelling
u Al-Umtair, Al-Umtair, don't shoot The firing stopped then, but the raiders
had made good their dash for the camels. It turned out that they were a party
of the Al-Fugam Umtair under their Shaikh Haif and his brother Jafran who
apologised profusely for their mistake and as no one had been hurt we foregath
ered round a fire and coffee was soon going round. Haif who had visited me in
Kuwait explained he was on his way to raid the Ajman and had taken us for a
party of them. He had with hinij besides the 30 or so horsemen who got
into us first, about 60 to 80 thalul-riders. We parted the best of friends with
no harm done to either side, whilst I had gained the experience of a real
Bedouin attack It was dashingly delivered and the way the attacking party
gallops in at widely extended intervals accounts for the few casualties always
reported in these raids. The thalul-riders support the horsemen and generally
get up a few minutes after the horsemen have run into the camels to be
raided. I am told they generally pay no more attention than they are forced
to the dismounted defenders, their main object being to drive off the camels
as soon as possible. These raiding parties travel very light, each man's food
consisting of a few handfuls of dates and a few pieces of bread which is
all he carries besides his arms and ammunition on his person or his mount.
A few skins of water are carried for general use by some of the thalul-riders and
there are no other baggage or spare animals. They can do, thus equipped,
marches of 50 or more miles a day, raid their intended prey during the night
and put another 50 miles between themselves and the scene of action before the
following sunset. Any mount going lame or a man sick has to leave the party
at once and make the best of his own way out of danger and back to his tribe's
tents as best as can.
The Bedouin say they can, in the winter season, go without water them
selves three days and without food two days, but their mares cannot dispense
with water for more than 30 hours.
We resumed our march at 11-45 a. m. with the camels not marching well,
and camped at 4 p. m. These Arabs were the first we had seen since leaving
my first camp.
gth February. —Marched at 8-45 a. m., veering a little to the left until we
struck the " Jada" between As-Safa and Hafar at 10-15. Followed this through
splendid grazing until at^-so p. m. we came to a small mound on the road called
Masjid-ibn-Rashid, It is said to have been a rough pile made by Muhammad
ar-Rashid in the days when he over-ran most of northern Arabia to mark the half
way point between Hafar and As-Safa, which places are each 12 hours distant
(loaded camels' pace). Continuing, we camped on the road at 4-30 p. m., the