'File 8/63 MUSCAT STATE AFFAIRS: SHIHUH TRIBE.' [‎15r] (29/56)

10th February
25th February
juarch
7 th March
8th March
^age -x 2
(5
<e)
S.h.O. ( h.M*b. M Tnad H ) arrived xOiasab bringing bheiich
Isa, uritish Agent, and Ahmad bin Muhammad,nephew of
Shei kh of uaJOia. ( BaFha had been visited the day
before where 8heihh of j^aJcha secretly showed British
Agent letters he had received signed by SheiFh of Diba
and ShexFh of hhasab and 3 SheiFhs of humzar forbidding
him to give any facilities wnat-ever to survey ship;,
aneiFh Ahasab refused to come off but told uritish Agent
tixat matter might be postponed till end of Kamadhan
e., end of February) when he and aheiFh of jcaicha would
confer after the fast.
First molestation of wan by oheiich xvhasab. One oi ijor ..
AsjiaBis in bazaar was strucic by the sheiFhds servants,
his dagger, rifle and 50 dollars belonging to wali ( for
* Xd purchases; being confiscated and still with hheiJch.
bheihh also sent a messenger to the wali stating what
his remaining in Ahasab would be to his ov. r n peril, xiis
person would be unsafe outside the fort walls. Ihe
8heiFh further issued orders to the bazaar merchants to
sell no stores in future to the wan ( since this date
wall has been fed by n.M.a. M .Lupin u and he and asicaris
dare not go into town;.
14 Ormonde* 4 arrived Ahasab with bneilcn oi naicna and his
three nephews.
h.M.b. “Cyclamen' 1 arrived with nritish Agent, oneiiai Isa.
It was thought by .cntisn Agent at this stage that a
personal dispute over a legacy divided aheihh Ahasab and
bneiJcn jsaFha and that this stodd in the way of permission
to ascent the hill. bheiJch Isa landed to try and persu
ade Sheihh of Ahasab to come off for this settlement.
Ihe disputed legacy was for 1000 rounds of ammunition
and the British Agent was prepared to compose tnis
matter by himself settling the claim conditional to
permission for the ascent of the hill being given.
bneiJm naxha had alreddy expressed consent to such an
arrangement. British Agent remained wnole day, but
yheiFh Ahasab said nothing could.be done without
presence of bheiich Baidia ashore. The latter had on
ground of personal dignity already refused to land say
ing bheirJa Ahasab must come on board. At length bheihh
Ahasab agreed to come off provided nritish Agent would
undertake nothing should happen to him for his recent
conduct and secondly nritish Agent must come to mosque
ans swear that 1000 rounds would be paid him in a
specified time, bheikn isa proceeded to mosque and swore,
ne and bheikh Ahasab then proceeded to beach to embark.
On arrival a crowd of bheikh's tribesmen surrounded
their sheikh forbade him going off, and carried him back
to his house, sheikh j.sa returned to ship alone.
“Lupin’* arrived, sheikh nakha agreed to land at a
private house and he and nntish Agent did so, the
latter acting as a go between with sheikh Ahasab who
remained in nis own house. The legacy suit was settled
on the basis of nntish Agent shouldering the disputed
debt and the two Sheikhs then met. sritish Agent
returned ship, sheikh nakha remaining ashore to arrange
ascent of hill.
Sheikh sakha returned early hours with Sheikh Khasab*s
agreement to ascent of hill on terms of an escort to be
provided of 5 men from each Sheikh and each man to
receive payment 3 rupees Indian silver coin also widely used in the Persian Gulf. per diem plus food. ( Sneikh
nasan complained that escort had received nothing on