'Reports of administration for 1918 of divisions and districts of the occupied territories in Mesopotamia. Volume I' [‎128v] (261/470)

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“ His tribes in and around Hail and in the Tawal, being without a leader and
short of provisions, went where they could best provide for themselves. About
3,000 tents joined the late Shaikh, Sa‘ud al Salih, a number joined the Dhafir, and
some went north to the ‘Anizah. They have given no trouble beyond raiding,
which is common to all, and it was alleged by the Dhafir that they had tampered
with the railway line and telegraph poles. It is strongly suspected that the Dhafir
Shabanah were the offenders and that it was done in order to implicate the Shammar
tribes then living in that area. The late Shaikh, Sa‘ud al Salih Subhan, was
murdered at Ichlawi in November by a sub-shaikh of his tribe, who claimed that
SaTid was responsible for the death of his brother.
“ Sa‘ud was well liked by most of the tribes for his personal qualities as a
desert fighter and strategist, but had not sufficient prestige as a shaikh, and the
general opinion among them was that they were as good as he in that respect.
Sa‘ud was unstable in character and reckless in speech. He aimed at becoming
the recognised chief of all Shammar and to that end did his best lately to work in
with us. He was the best informed man on desert affairs in the whole district, and
his friendship was of great value in a political sense. No one has yet been
nominated in his place.
“ Shaikh Dhari ibn Tawalah of Aslam, Shammar, keeps entirely aloof from
other Shammar tribes; but most of his followers have been scattered during the
whole time he has been in this area, some were at Hafar and others in Sa‘ud’s camp,
whilst his camp at Safwan Wells was filled with elements from the ‘Anizah and
‘Ajman. He had only about 50 tents of his own people with him there. He has
now moved to Shaqaq, a place about 30 miles south-west of Jabal Sanam. Dhari
is a man of very pleasing exterior and frank open manner, giving one the impression
that he is sincere. His conduct during the last year has shown him to be the
reverse. He has been convicted of procuring food for the enemy, disregard of
orders given to him by the Political Officers who had charge of his affairs, and
obtaining Rs. 6,000/- in subsidies from one officer which he had already received
in advance from another. He is low and cunning in his dealings and has very
little intelligence. He hated and feared the late Sa‘ud al Salih, and is utterly
despised by Ibn Rashid. His subsidy was reduced this year from Rs. 3,000/- to
Rs. 1,000/-.
( c ) Ajman. The Ajman tribe under Shaikh Dhaidan ibn Hithlain came
into this area in May, having been ordered here from Kuwait. They settled at
Chubaibdah and Rafadhiyah and gave no trouble. They moved out to the desert
when the rains came and are now about midway between Jabal Sanam and Hafar,
to the north of the Batin. They number about 600 tents and are rich in camels.
Their camels are the best to be found in Arabia, and about 1,000 were purchased
from them for the Government during ]\Iay and June. The ‘Ajman are very small
in stature, but strong and wiry. I hey are reputed to be good fighters and
extremely rapacious, and are feared and respected by most other tribes. Their
women enjoy more personal liberty and have more influence in affairs than those
of most other tribes. They often take part in the fighting, and it is common to
see them carry arms when coming in here with their caravans. Their Shaikh,
Dahidan, is a typical Ajman, short and thickset, with strong features and sinister
look. He is very independent in character, speaks his mind and loses no time in
coming to the point. He would be very useful on our side if there were fighting with
Bedouins to be done, provided always his heart were in it. His hold over his tribe
is rather loose, but that is due to their unruly nature. His cousin, Sultan Hithlain,
is a dwarf, but gives the impression of being very hardy. Shaikh Khumais ibn
Munaikhir is the head of the Safran sub-tribe of ‘Ajman, consisting of about
200 tents. They are a separate tribe and Dhaidan has no control over them, but
the whole live together amicably* Khumais is a battered old warrior of about 50,
lame through wounds and limps badly. He is said to be the best fighting leader
m the whole desert. He is strong and independent in character, and, like Dhaidan,
does not waste time m words. He also would be useful on our side.
“(d) About 200 tents of Dahamshah, ‘Anizah, have been in this
area since May They have lived the whole time on the river near Rumailah and
have given no trouble They have now moved out to Ichlawi with the Shammar.
They were suspected of being here only in order to obtain food and were simply
1S ’ ^ here J or f: kn ? wn about them. Their Shaikh, Sa‘ad ibn
Mijlad, was sent for from time to time in order to keep us in touch with them. He