'Adminisistration [Administration] Reports 1931-1935' [‎151r] (301/416)

2. There were no Bedouin incidents worth recording such as raids, etc.
3. On the other hand lack of rain in North Hassa and Kuwait rendered the
grazing pi aspects ioi the summer of 1934 very gloomy The sitn-iHe
greatly aggfavated by the sudden influx from slul Arlia ^,e g ^ AwaS
tribe into Kuwait as well as ot strong details of the Muteir, Ban Kh^kl
Shammar, Rashaida, Adwan and Zab tribes. ivnana,
4. These new arrivals with their enormous herds of camels literally spread
clT be found Wer 0 6 C ° Untry Sid6 a “ d ate "P everything that
5. Actually the new arrivals entered Kuwait partly because lack of grazing
drove them to look for fresh pastures, but mainly because it was anticipated that
Bin tSaud woula be beaten m the lemen, and as chaos and raiding would then
be the order ot the day, those having large camel herds hoped to get protection
and sal el > within the Kuwait borders.
6. The above unwelcome visitors left Kuwait in May and June but no
grazing remained for the Kuwait nomads with the result that there was a very
serious grazing famine in the Summer and Autumn of 1934. The like had not
been seen for years, it was $aid.
7. At a conservative estimate some 1,000 Kuwait camels perished of
starvation, several hundred others gave premature birth to still born calves,
and some 5,000 sheep died.
8. Those few who could afford it, kept their animals alive on barley, hut the
poorer class of bedouin owning 3 or 4 camels and a dozen sheep apiece, lost
nearly all their stock.
9. Relief came in November with the advent of the rainy season, but as grass
only came np in December and then very sparsely, due to the cold, one may say
that the drought (dhar) only ended with the close of the. year.
Note .—As one writes tills, the conditon of both camels and sheep has
once more returned to normal, though the lambing season has been
a poor one due to the fact that most of the males died off in the
early period of the drought.
VI.— Relations with Bin Sand.
1. These have been uniformly good throughout the year, if we except the
Blockade"’, which has been maintained closely and steadily throughout 19o4.
2. The “ Blockade ” staff however have shown less strictness than usual,
probably ov/ing to the fact that the Temen War drained the noi thorn maicues
of men, and the large influx of Nojd tribesmen into Kuwait teiritory lendoied
the watching' of the long Kuwait frontier a matter of some difficult}.
3. The Yemen-Rin Sand war naturally was the main topic of interest m
Kuwait during the first half of 1934.
The general opinion, when the news got round that Bin Sand, had decided
on hostilities, was that the King had for once in a while bitten oh moie l.nan
he could chew ” It was clearly a case of the “ whale trying to fight the canud ,
said everyone, and if anyone was going to come off best, it would be . lm<
Yahya, was the general opinion. The latter was looked upon as the more cun
ning leader of the two, and his decision to await attack appeared to
this.
. 17 L li!G J Tp ll fhe^freedom from control which they longed
“r ^e^ToYr^conCd mostly to the tribes of inner Nejd,
Aridh. Hauta and Kharj) were from the first despondent and tl ut
their Ruler had embarked on an adventure from which he must come
heavily damaged if not actually beaten.
5. Throughout Nejd therefore there t’hcre
muring or the one side, and great hope anc AA } )a ttle early in the War
is little doubt that had the King been beaten m a pitched battle eai.y .»
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