[Un-numbered file] 'Diary of Colonel Hamilton's Visit to Nejd 1918' [‎40v] (80/206)

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Guides said the wells of Al-Habah wery still 3 or 4 hours distant. However, after
marching on for about another hour we came suddenly on the hill overlooking
the wells. Decided to stop short of the wells as we are wet and uncomfortable
and want fuel more than water. There is never fuel nor grazing in the
vicinity of important wells. Camped at 12-15 p.m. Have still got the ‘Ajman
ladies marching in our wake ; one is an aunt and the others connections of
Shaikh Dhaidan ibn Hithlain. I send them food for which they are grateful
and daily send thanks. They ride, two of them, in howdahs on thelnls, and the
third astride.
Incredible story brought me hy Dabbi to-day that on the day that Ibn
Dabayi left us with ‘Abdullah Shammari to go to Biadh he learnt that there
were 9 German askar (soldiers) at Riadh. Afterwards, when we had
reached Shagrah from ‘Anaizah, the 9 Germans passed us along another route to
Hail. In Riadh he learnt that they had come by ship from the Hijaz. He said
that Bin Saud wanted only to make himself strong and was taking all he could
from both sides. He meant to make Ibn Sabah (Kuwait) acknowledge his
supremacy and to attack him if he would not comply. Meanwhile, the
Kuwait standard is at Gara’a, 2 days this side nf Subaihiyah. Dabbi
believes that the Subai are out raiding against Kuwait. Of course, Bin Saud’s
policy is self-centred. He, possibly, thinks that the Central Powers will get the
upper hand, at least in Asia Minor. He wishes to consolidate his power over
all the Arab tribes of Najd, Hijaz, and East Syria. Dreams of the restoration
©f the ephemeral Wahabi Empire of former days undoubtedly are the main
spring of his policy * That is why he is fostering the Ikhwan revival at
Artawiyah. The Ikhwan are receiving daily accessions. When at
Ri,adh it was the Ataibah ; now I hear that the majority of the Mutair and
some Shammar has been converted. This is a militant Wahabi revival ;
they consider any intercourse with Christians to be pollution, while the rather
loose Muhammadans of Kuwait are treated as misbelievers. Therefore, the
Ikhwan are hated in Kuwait, Old Paris al Amaid of the Mutair, however,
sai,d that he had not gone over. He, for instance, did not believe in them ;
he was not going to lie he said. Bin Sand thinks that the Ikhwan will make
a splendid fighting nucleus. They are real fanatics. My reader, ‘Abdullah ibn
‘Abdulillah, a very devout Muhammadan who always leads prayers in my camp,
and is regarded as a learned Mullah, says that the Ikhwan are ignorant and
ill-conditioned. According to him the worst thing about them is their
intolerance of their co-religionists, whom they call Kafirs (Yakafarum ghai
Musalmin).
My experience of the Arabs here and elsewhere in Mesopotamia is that
they regard us as softies. England to them is a sort of fairy godmother
rolling in wealth, kindly, and silly. This attitude does us no harm, no more
than the prosperous man’s patronizing of the Almighty harms the latter or
deflects him a hairsbreadth from his inexorable designs. As a policy in
contrast to that of German frightfulness British softness and apparent
blindness has paid us well. We have roped in the whole world thereby while
Germany has only secured Bulgaria.
Still going over this uninteresting Summan steppe, following what is
apparently, a long valley, but is actually a succession of such valleys the
longer axes of wTiich run N. and S. and thus facilitate our way, forming in
fact, a sort of sunken road ; innumerable paths lead off on both sides. Have
sometimes left road for a few miles and everywhere found a network of such
paths, any one of which, if followed, takes the general direction of the main road.
Ine mam road is called makatti ( ), or the cutting. Many Salubis about
but no other Arabs come this way at this time of year. Halted close to peculiar
sugar-loaf hill about 250 ft. above surrounding depression and standing in its
nOTth* ^ 6 arG ln 81 ^ Al-Haba from this spot. Direction due
loth December. —Halted,
Distance—73 Lours, 25 minutes,
Temp. 49°, Bar. 2,120'.
as weather very threatening, and sent
miles. camels to well to fill skins. We started
when all had been watered, a matter of
Of which reminds one both of