مراسلات متعلقة بابن سعود تم تداولها في الكويت من قبل مناصب أخرى في الخليج [و‎‎١‎٨‎٥] (٤٠٨/٣٦٩)

15
he regarded like his father. The letter he was sending with Ahmad Thanaivan
would be shown me before it was closed, and a copy sent to Maior Dickson * It
was as friendly as be could possibly make it, and he was in addi ion instructing
h.s representative, Ahmad Thanaiyan, to be as conciliatory and accmmodat“I
in all respects as may be compatible with reason and propriety. He “hen sa d
that he had ordered a mahmil ” (open box-like thing tied on IcameHor ridfng
in) or me, as he feared that the ordinary “ shidad ” (camels saddle) ridinw would
be too much for me m that hot time of the year. I thanked him heart?H and
h thlS Perfect pieman and wterulerat^about
A t ^ rn, S h . e advised to start at 4 a.m. next morning and to await
Ahmad Thanaiyan a ad his party in Daraiyah. The last words of the Imam to
me were very flattering : “ I hope our friendship now made will always con
tinue to grow If you possibly can try and come back this way, or at least send
Par ban with Ahmad Ihanaiyan ”, to which I replied, - In-sha-Allah, I shall
try and dp so " We departed and went to our quarters. I felt as if I had
tha 1 nk ® d th f Imam for the great friendship, courtesy and regard
both 0 d f us Wn me ’ bUt Farhan had said ^ uite a lot iri the usual Arab way for
80. At about 19 p.m. Bin Shalhub, with another brought us the arms*
T 0rk ? n 1 SCa ^ bard andwlt 5 and one rifle (Turkish army
pattern 1331 1912) and one belt with 100 rounds a-piece for each of us.
HI. Saturday, 7th August—21st Dhil early about 4 p m
and find seven horses and eight camels ready. After making necessary prepara-
tions, assortment, loading, etc., started at 5 a.m. and went out of the town through
the north (Bin Suwaihm) gate. Far ban and myself rode on horses, and the re-
maming five horses were ridden by five of Bin Sa’ud’s slaves—strong, hearty lads.
My two servants Ibrahim and Ghazi and Farhan’s servant Hamad, each rode
a camel comparatively heavier beasts which in addition carried our kit, a fourth
oamel was under opr coffee-boy Abdur Rahman (Dahaimj bin Musaid bin
Mubarak Ad-iJosari of Ikhara], the fifth carried the mahmil, counterbalanced
by two bags of my kit, the sixth was ridden by Sa’aid, a Shammari Arab He
was our whole-time attendant in Riyadh and was useful in giving me inform
ation. . He was one of the Arab irregulars who had served the Turkish forces in
the Hejaz, had become a prisoner in the Tarrabah affair, or rather ioined the
victorious Akhwan incognito, came down to Riyadh, where he married and
settled down as one of Bin Sa’ud’s personal attendants. The remaining two
camels, excellent, light “ Omaniyat ” were going along fully equipped^ with
beautiful shidads (saddles) and trappings to carry us onwards from Harai-
yah for the Imam had thought it rather unsafe to ride these from the very
outset, they having been grazing out for a long time without being ridden on.
82. When this little train of men andfiffen beasts was about to pass out of
the gate, one Abdur Rahman, an elderly man came up nearer, and salaamed us
in the correct Arab fashion. This surprised me, as it was the first “ Salaam-o-
Alaikum ” (salutation) uttered for us in or near Riyadh, no one having done
so at all nor even replied to our own salaams, vhich I always took care to
say first (as a Moslem is commanded to do) whenever passing by any Arabs
Farhan often quarrelled with me for “ wasting salaams ” on those who did not
care to receive or reply to them hut, on the contrary turned away their faces or
muttered half-audible curses. Sa’aid told me that this man was a distant relation
of Bin Sa’ud’s and had been to Mecca twice at the head of the Nejd pilgrimages
As we passed along we wished us God-speed, and declared emphatically that
time was very short and we should be very fortunate if we succeeded in catch
ing the Hajj.
83. The road, a common route, passes through beautiful gardens on both
sides and then lies over rocky ground for some miles. The gardens are enclosed
in mud walls ranging from six to ten feet or more in height. A few miles out
are to be seen half a dozen wells scattered about north and west of Riyadh
These are used for the irrigation of wheat, barley, etc., which is grown here to
some extent, though the chief grain supply is from Kharaj and its neighbour-
hood.