file which includes the original illustrations4 ,see #eajgj-;h4htm or #eajgj-;h4zip3 7https3_/_/www4gutenberg4org_/cache_/epu b_/#eajgj_/pg#eajgj-;images4html7 or 7https3_/_/www4gutenberg4org_/files_/#ea jgj_/eajgj-;h4zip7 ,images of the original pages are available through ,internet ,archive4 ,see https3_/_/archive4org_/details_/raiderso fsarhadb#jj;dyeruoft ,transcriber's note ,text enclosed by underscores is in italics 7italics74 ,,the ,,raiders ,,of ,,the ,,sarhad ,illustration3 ,a ,,typical ,,gorge ,,in ,,the ,,sarhad4 ,,the ,,raiders ,,of ,,the ,,sarhad ,being the ,account of a ,campaign of ,arms and ,bluff ,against the ,brigands of the ,persian-,baluchi ,border during the ,great ,war by ,,brigadier-,,general ,r4 ,e4 ,h4 ,,dyer1 ,c4,b4 ,with ,numerous ,photographs and ,two ,maps ,london ,h4 ,f4 ,g4 ,witherby #cbf ,high ,holborn1 ,w4,c4 #aiba ,,preface ,with the greatest diffidence ,i have at last made up my mind to write the story of my small campaign with the ,sarhad ,raiders in #aiaf4 ,this campaign sinks into utter insignificance when compared with the great deeds done in other theatres of war by men who said nothing about them4 ,but1 insignificant as it was1 it forms part of the mosaic of the ,great ,war1 and for this reason may be of some general interest4 ,i take this opportunity of paying a tribute to all the officers who took part in this little campaign4 ,their untiring devotion to duty1 and their efforts to do their utmost under conditions that were often more than trying1 accounts for its success4 ,i would like1 in particular1 to mention ,major ,landon of the #ceth ,scinde ,horse1 whose great knowledge of the people and their country was invaluable2 ,major ,sanders of the #cfth ,sikhs2 ,colonel ,claridge of the #bhth ,light ,cavalry2 ,captain ,brownlow and ,captain ,hirst1 both of the #bhth ,light ,cavalry2 ,major ,lang2 ,captain ,moore-,lane2 ,lieutenant ,bream of the ,hazara ,pioneers1 and ,captain ,english1 ,r4,a4 ,in addition ,i would mention how much1 not only ,i1 but the old country owes to ,khan ,bahadur1 the ,sarhad-dar1 and to ,idu1 non-commissioned officer of the ,chagai ,levies4 ,the photographs are from snapshots taken by various officers during the campaign4 ,r4,e4,h4,d4 ,,contents ,,chapter ,i ,,orders ,,for ,,the ,,west ,,page ,i receive my orders--,german agents and ,india--,their routes--,a deal in chauffeurs--,concerning an appetite and sausages--,nushliki--,the last of civilisation--,further information--,sand-holes and digging--,petrol in the desert #ae ,,chapter ,,ii ,,the ,,road ,,to ,,robat ,mushki-chah--,the native contractor--,an evening rencontre--,idu of the ,chagai ,levies--,the native idea of an airship--,idu the invaluable--,robat #cj ,,chapter ,,iii ,a ,,plan ,,of ,,campaign ,an intelligent officer--,matters political--,three tribes and a fourth--,their women and inter-tribal laws--,sarhad conditions--,a summons to the ,chiefs--,a bid for rank--,telegraph wires and ,sheitan--,two first-class liars--,a strategic scheme--,an ungazetted ,general--,lost kit--,swallows and flies--,forces available-- ,communications freed--,the ,kacha levy and a shock--,mirjawa #cg ,,chapter ,,iv ,,bluff ,,and ,,arms ,ladis and its fort--,a force without arms--,first sight of the enemy--,shah ,sawar and more bluff--,battle--,bluff succeeds--,casualties--,bad news from the ,north--,idu's proposition--,jiand's stragglers--,jiand's white flag #ee ,,chapter ,v ,,khwash ,,and ,,more ,,bluff ,jiand's surrender--,a political lecture--,jiand's oath--,bluff for ,khwash--,the army moves forward--,khwash and its fort--,mahommed-,hassan comes in--,beetles as scavengers--,halil ,khan comes in--,rifle prices1 a comparison--,idu's warning--,news of ,izzat--,order of march--,bluff for ,bampur--,the meteor hole #fi ,,chapter ,,vi ,a ,,full ,,bag ,,of ,,prisoners ,the march to ,kacha--,the food supply--,flowers in the ,wilderness--,galugan--,repeated strategy--,juma ,khan comes in--,the bag is full--,the throne of the dancing maidens--,landon declines--,idu's doubts--,suspicions aroused--,halil ,khan closes up--,kacha1 oaths1 and thumb-marks--,the ,chiefs depart--,bad news #hg ,,chapter ,,vii ,,the ,,race ,,for ,,khwash ,plans and routes--,car versus legs--,an equestrian interlude--,the trap in the gorge--,more digging--,rendezvous-- ,mrs ,idu and gastronomy--,a reinforcement--,a message to ,landon--,izzat's men--,idu's romance--,a ,british ,bulldog--,the car abandoned #ajc ,,chapter ,,viii ,,khwash ,,and ,,the ,,second ,,surrender ,doubts dispelled--,organisation for defence--,idu's ,exiat--,and its result--,jiand arrives--,idu's second visit--,the ,sarhad-dar arrives--,landon at last--,jiand's visit of ceremony--,the ,gul-,bibi--,shah ,sawar's treachery--,we call on the ,rose ,lady--,a carpet and the ,sarhad-dar's advice--,another ,durbar--,returned loot--,temporary peace #abb ,,chapter ,,ix ,,treachery ,,and ,,its ,,sequel ,further reinforcements--,entrenchments and gardens-- ,government inquiries--,food supplies--,an offer to ,jiand--,murad and straw--,shah ,sawar again--,sentence--,idu's suggestion--,re-enter the ,rose ,lady--,news of ,jiand's intentions--,a vital moment--,a round-up--,the ,sarhad-dar's advice--,a ,bhusa hunt--,distrustful wives #adc ,,chapter ,x ,,failure ,,and ,,fresh ,,plans ,slave buying--,a diet discovery--,poetic justice--,disposition of prisoners--,incredible news--,the ,sawar's story--,disposal of forces--,the march to ,kamalabad--,jiand gains his freedom--,retreat to ,khwash #afe ,,chapter ,,xi ,,success ,,in ,,miniature ,the night attack--,the ,hazaras arrive--,jiand retires--,we march on the ,sar-i-drokan valley--,cavalry strategy-- ,gushti's decision and opinion--,the ,hole of ,judgment--,attack and retirement--,a lost and regained water-supply--,the ,sarhadis as humorists--,the mud fort--,halil ,khan's arrival--,the fight at dawn--,exit ,halil ,khan--,a prophet--,the ,hazaras' request #aha ,,chapter ,,xii ,,victory ,,and ,,peace ,news of the herds--,towards ,dast-,kird--,water6--,mutton for all--,dast-,kird--,a stampede--,back to ,khwash--,on the track of the ,gamshadzais--,twice a prophet--,the ,sarhad-dar's roost--,before ,jalk--,rejected terms--,more strategy and a bloodless victory--,remain only terms and sick leave #bja ,,index #bba ,,list ,,of ,,illustrations ,,page ,a ,,typical ,,gorge ,,in ,,the ,,sarhad ,frontispiece ,,in ,,difficulties ,,between ,,nasaratabad ,,and ,,robat ,facing #be ,a ,,good ,,liar1 ,,landon',s ,,orderly ,,and ,,chief ,,spy #di ,,questioning ,a ,,sarhadi ,,prisoner #ei ,,jiand',s ,,men ,,coming ,,in ,,to ,,parley #ga ,,khwash ,,fort #ge ,,surrendered ,,raiders1 7,,centre7 ,,jiand1 7,,right7 ,,shah ,,sawar1 7,,left7 ,,halil ,,khan #hi ,,camel ,,corps ,,sawars ,,at ,,the ,,termination ,,of ,,an ,,expedition #ig ,,the ,,durbar ,,at ,,khwash #ada ,,raider ,,chiefs ,,at ,,the ,,durbar ,,at ,,khwash #ada ,,raided ,,slaves ,,on ,,the ,,way ,,to ,,their ,,homes #afg ,a ,,persian ,,girl ,,captured ,,by ,,juma ,,khan #afg ,,captured ,,raiders ,,on ,,the ,,way ,,to ,,kacha #agc ,,on ,,the ,,march ,,towards ,,gusht1 ,,and ,,the ,,morpeish ,,hills #ahe ,,hazaras ,,on ,a ,,picket ,,post ,,below ,,which ,,halil ,,khan ,,was ,,killed #aig ,,water6 ,,on ,,the ,,march ,,to ,,the ,,sar-,i-,,drokan #bjc ,,hazara ,,pioneers ,,widening ,a ,,passage ,,for ,,loaded ,,camels #bae ,,chahgird ,,fort ,,in ,,jalk #bag ,,maps ,,page ,,sketch ,,map ,,of ,,the ,,persian-,,baluchi-,,afghan ,,frontiers ,facing #ae ,,sketch ,,map ,,of ,,the ,,fight ,,in ,,the ,,morpeish ,,hills #aha ,illustration3 ,sketch ,map of the ,persian-,baluchi-,afghan frontiers ,,the ,,raiders ,,of ,,the ,,sarhad ,,chapter ,i ,,orders ,,for ,,the ,,west ,i receive my orders--,german agents and ,india--,their routes--,a deal in chauffeurs--,concerning an appetite and sausages--,nushliki--,the last of civilisation--,further information--,sand-holes and digging--,petrol in the desert4 ,towards the end of ,february1 #aiaf1 ,general ,kirkpatrick1 ,chief of ,staff at ,delhi1 sent for me and gave me orders to take charge of the military operations in ,south-,east ,persia4 ,although ,persia1 as a country1 was neutral during the ,war1 there is a certain district in the ,south-,east1 abutting on to the frontiers of ,afghanistan and of ,baluchistan1 and known as the ,sarhad1 which is occupied by a number of nomad tribes who claim absolute independence4 ,at this time these tribes were causing considerable embarrassment and difficulty to the ,indian ,government4 ,the ,germans and their agents1 who were past masters in the art of propaganda1 were still endeavouring1 as they had done for years before the outbreak of hostilities1 to work upon the discontented portion of the ,indian population in the hope of rousing them into open rebellion4 ,they believed this to be quite possible1 in spite of the magnificent way in which ,india had offered her resources of men and money to the ,british ,raj1 and hoped thereby to handicap us still further in our great struggle in the ,west4 ,they were pouring their agents1 with their lying propaganda1 into ,india via ,persia and ,afghanistan4 ,afghanistan1 like ,persia1 was nominally neutral1 but she was breaking her neutrality by many open acts of aggression1 and was offering every facility in her power to the ,german agents in their passage through her territories1 and thence into the ,punjab4 ,to reach ,afghanistan1 however1 the ,german agents had to pass through some part of ,persia4 ,the ,persian ,government placed no restrictions on the movements of either ,british or ,germans1 of which fact the latter took full advantage4 ,a glance at the map will show that apparently the easiest route for them to take across ,persia was in the ,north1 in the ,russian sphere of influence1 and to approach ,afghanistan through ,korasan2 or1 failing this1 by a route rather farther ,south1 across the ,lut ,desert1 in the direction of ,birjand4 ,as a matter of fact they had tried both these routes1 but without much success1 owing to the inhospitable nature of the country through which they had to pass and also to the opposition they met with from the ,hazara tribes round ,herat1 who1 belonging as they do to the ,shiah section of the ,mahommedan religion1 are at daggers drawn with the ,afghans1 who belong to the ,sunni section4 ,therefore the ,germans had to try yet another road1 and succeeded farther ,south where they had failed in the ,north4 ,by taking the longer route through ,kerman and ,narmashir in the ,south and ,south-,east of ,persia1 they found easy ingress into ,afghanistan4 ,to effect this1 however1 they had to make friends with the nomad and war-like tribes of the ,sarhad4 ,these tribes were traditionally friendly to the ,british1 but the ,germans had bribed them heavily and had moreover assured them that ,germany had turned ,islam and that the ,kaiser ,william himself was a convert to their religion4 ,as the ,sarhad tribes were always out for a good thing for themselves1 and as they believed the lie about the ,german conversion1 they had allowed themselves to be tricked into helping the ,germans4 ,this they were doing not only by permitting them to pass through their territory1 but also by harassing the lines of communication between the inadequately small ,british frontier posts4 ,the story of ,germany having turned ,mahommedan1 farcical as it was1 was nevertheless a potential source of grave danger for us in ,india4 ,it must be remembered that ,germany's ally1 ,turkey1 was ,mahommedan1 and that in helping us against ,germany1 the ,mahommedans of ,india were already being called upon1 indirectly1 to fight against their own co-religionists4 ,when1 in addition1 ,india was assured that powerful ,germany was winning1 so her agents avowed1 in every theatre of war1 it was inevitable that in time her loyalty to us must suffer4 ,it was vital to stop this lying but insidious propaganda1 and the first step was to prevent ,german agents from entering ,india at all4 ,to do this the nomad tribes of the ,sarhad must be brought back into line with their old policy of friendship with ,britain4 ,hence my orders from ,general ,kirkpatrick4 ,he instructed me to proceed without a moment's unnecessary delay to ,quetta1 where ,i was to receive more detailed instructions4 ,on leaving him ,i hurried1 with car and native chauffeur1 to the railway station1 and asked for a truck on which to place the car for entrainment to ,nushki4 ,the station-master assured me ,i was asking for an impossibility4 ,a great ,maharajah1 then travelling1 had commandeered every available truck for his suite1 luggage and cars4 ,i told him that the ,government business on which ,i had been sent was all important1 and1 by a little persuasion1 soon had myself on the way to ,pindi and the car on the way to ,nushki4 ,arrived at ,pindi ,i found ,i had exactly one hour left in which to catch the train for ,quetta4 ,there was no time to pack1 sort out kit1 or decide what should1 or should not1 be taken on a campaign which might last only a few weeks or many months1 and which might assume a political aspect sooner than expected4 ,my servant1 ,allah-dad1 was therefore directed to take everything for sorting out when time could be spared1 and ,i rushed off to try and do a deal with ,general ,sir ,gerald ,kitson1 before starting4 ,i realised that a motor-car might play an important part in this prospective campaign1 as it would be necessary to travel for long distances in a land of no railways and no regular roads1 the best road to be hoped for probably being a sandy track used by camel caravans4 ,i had already had some experience of difficult motoring with an inefficient chauffeur1 so naturally wanted to secure the best man that could be got4 ,i must here explain that ,i possessed an ,english chauffeur1 ,allan by name1 and that ,general ,kitson employed his brother in the same capacity4 ,now1 without any disparagement of my ,allan1 ,i knew his brother to be a more practical and experienced man4 ,general ,kitson generously gave his consent to an exchange of chauffeurs4 ,i may as well say1 at once1 that it was a lucky day for me that saw ,allan of the #ith ,middlesex ,regiment enter my service1 for1 during the months to come1 he was as cheery and full of resource as he was ready for any event1 however untoward4 ,his appetite stood forth as the only thing that ever caused me uneasiness1 and ,i must admit that ,i have never met a man with one of such colossal proportion4 ,as an instance--on one occasion1 when camped out in the desert1 between ,nushki and ,robat1 and supplies were none too plentiful1 we cooked twelve sausages for breakfast4 ,i had one1 and then was persuaded by ,allan to attempt a second4 ,i only succeeded in disposing of half of it4 ,i then got up and left ,allan to have his own breakfast4 ,allah-dad1 being a ,mahommedan1 of course refused to touch sausage4 ,at lunch-time ,allah-dad asked what ,i would have to eat1 and got the answer1 ,oh1 some of the cold sausages left from breakfast4 ,allah-dad replied1 ,but there are no sausages1 ,sahib4 ,allan has eaten them all4 ,i expostulated1 maintaining that it was impossible4 ,no normal man could have eaten ten and a half large sausages4 ,but ,allah-dad was not to be shaken4 ,it may be well imagined that the feeding of my chauffeur during the months to come loomed up as one of my minor anxieties4 ,from ,pindi ,i went to ,quetta by train1 my car1 with the native chauffeur having gone direct to the then rail-head at ,nushki1 in the ,north of ,indo-,baluchistan4 ,at ,quetta ,i laid in a store of petrol1 spare tyres1 a few personal necessities1 reported to ,general ,grover for orders and information1 and then proceeded to ,nushki2 which place was reached1 and the car picked up1 on1 if ,i remember rightly1 the #beth of ,february4 ,this day in ,nushki was to prove the last in a civilised town for many months to come4 ,the look of the country lying before us so intimidated my native chauffeur that he came to me1 a short time before we were due to start1 with a countenance torn with grief and1 with lamentations and protestations of sorrow1 told me that both his father and mother were ill1 and that it was vital for him to return and succour them4 ,as ,i had been in two minds as to the advisability of taking the rascal with me1 this sign of the white feather at the very outset at once decided the point1 and ,i gave him to understand that he could go and bury as many of his relations as he pleased4 ,with a countenance swiftly transformed to cheerfulness he left me4 ,just before starting a wire was handed in from a high political official at ,quetta informing me that the ,baluch ,raiders had already cut our lines of communication1 were right across my path1 and he advised1 if not ordered1 me not to proceed4 ,however1 as explicit military instructions were to endeavour to reach ,robat 7near the ,koh-i-,maliksia71 a hill at which the ,baluch1 ,afghan and ,persian frontiers meet1 as well as that of the district known as the ,sarhad1 with the least possible delay1 and as ,i knew the ,raiders were across my path even before ,i left ,quetta1 ,i saw no reason for altering previously made plans or for delaying my departure4 ,accordingly ,i started on the journey to ,robat early on the morning of the #bgth4 ,i reckoned it would take at least five days to reach that town1 as the route it would be necessary to follow would be fully three hundred and seventy-five miles4 ,i already knew that it would be essential to make many long dtours round freshly formed sand dunes and other obstacles1 for it must be remembered that there was no proper road but only a rough camel-track continually blown over and obliterated by sand1 along which supplies were taken from ,india to ,robat1 and the small garrison posts which we had established at various points ,northward4 ,the mention of small garrison posts may lead the reader to suppose that this area of wild activity was fairly well policed1 but1 as a fact1 one battalion of ,indian infantry1 a regiment of ,indian cavalry and1 ,i believe1 four mountain guns1 constituted the entire force of regulars holding a front of close upon three hundred miles4 ,it was small wonder1 then1 that the ,sarhad tribes1 commonly known as ,raiders1 from their raiding proclivities1 who knew every inch of the country1 could climb like cats1 and could do long marches on short rations1 had succeeded in cutting our lines of communication1 and in carrying off our supplies4 ,i could1 therefore1 look for no further help for the time in the matter of supplies and so took with me all that ,i thought would be necessary for our three hundred and seventy-five mile trek across the sandy wastes lying between ,nushki and ,robat4 ,petrol was1 at the moment1 the most important of our needs2 we had1 therefore1 to carry with us all we should require1 making allowance at the same time for mishaps4 ,moreover1 we had to take enough food and water to last ,allan1 ,allah-dad and myself for five or six days4 ,as regards personal luggage we travelled absolutely light1 leaving all kit to follow at a slower pace on camels1 together with my horse1 ,galahad4 ,i had some compunction in leaving the latter behind1 but my orders were concise and urgent--to reach ,robat1 endeavour to get into touch with all our scattered posts1 and effect a combination against the ,raiders at the earliest possible moment4 ,a start was made very early in the morning1 but the first day's journey proved disappointing4 ,instead of doing the ninety miles planned1 we only accomplished thirty4 ,the track was even worse than ,i had expected1 for we constantly ran into sand-hills1 and had to dig the car out4 ,i have never done so much digging in my life as ,i did on that journey to ,robat4 ,sand-hills were1 however1 only a portion of our afflictions1 for1 in addition1 there were many water pools and small shallow lakes--due to recent rain--which had to be taken at a rush1 or somehow circumvented4 ,so serious1 at last1 did our rate of progress become that1 as we approached what seemed to be the hundredth of these wide1 shallow pools1 ,i lost patience and ordered ,allan to drive straight through4 ,he attempted to carry out the order1 but about half-way we sank up to the axle and stuck4 ,no power on earth would induce the car to budge another inch1 and1 though we all three got out into the water1 and lugged1 pushed and dragged at the wretched car1 no impression could be made upon her4 ,so we remained till1 at last1 about two a4m41 ,i caught sight of a light on a small hill not very far away in the west1 and1 on going over to it1 found a sort of recluse1 or holy man1 quietly cooking his food4 ,after the usual courtesies ,i asked him to come and help me to pull my car out4 ,he replied that he was an old man and could not do much by himself1 but that a caravan of nomads1 who had arrived the evening before1 were encamped close by4 ,so off ,i went again1 flushed my quarry1 and1 with the help of large bribes1 persuaded all the able-bodied men to come back to the car4 ,fortunately we carried a good strong rope as part of our kit1 so soon had the car out and running again4 ,allan was never again ordered to drive through water on that route4 ,illustration3 ,,in ,,difficulties ,,between ,,nasaratabad ,,and ,,robat4 ,on the second day our troubles recommenced1 for we had barely done a dozen miles than we stuck in another sand-hill1 and the laborious digging-out process had to be done all over again4 ,fortunately1 the party who had got the car out of the lake the night before were close behind1 and for an obvious reason4 ,they had been given so many rupees for their timely help that1 knowing the difficulties lying ahead1 they had followed in the hope of further largesse4 ,they got it4 ,once safely out again ,i made a tour of inspection round the car1 but only to find more trouble4 ,hullo1 what on earth is this1 ,allan8 ,she's leaking6 ,allan smiled a superior smile4 ,i don't think so1 sir4 ,my cars don't leak4 ,but a moment later his superiority turned to consternation1 and he was burying his head in the bowels of the car4 ,after a moment's inspection he showed a face of such utter dismay that it would have been comical had not the situation been so serious4 ,great ,scott1 sir6 ,i must have left the petrol tap turned on1 and the tank is nearly empty4 ,here1 ,i'm afraid1 my language was violent1 and it was some minutes before ,allan was able to ascertain exactly how much petrol we had left4 ,his calculations established the fact that we had lost some fourteen gallons4 ,this meant that we should have to walk the greater part of the last two hundred miles of our journey4 ,a pleasant prospect in that forbidding country4 ,but orders were to go on1 and go on we did4 ,that day we made good time1 and before evening had done the ninety miles set as a day's march4 ,but1 as we had lost so much ground the previous day1 ,i determined to go on as long as ,allan could stick at the driving wheel1 and we went on--to a post called ,yadgar4 ,i should explain that in this barren1 townless1 roadless district there are occasional small rest-houses1 very modest types of ,dk bungalows1 established by the ,indian ,government for the benefit of travellers1 or soldiers on their way to frontier duty4 ,they are quite bare except for a camp bed or two1 a tub1 a table1 a few chairs and a wash-hand basin1 with a chokidar1 or keeper1 in charge4 ,such a rest-house we found at ,yadgar1 and being not only very tired and dusty1 but filthily dirty1 as the result of our struggles with the car1 we pulled up to try and get a superficial wash4 ,i jumped out and tried the door4 ,it was locked1 and ,i banged loudly without getting any answer4 ,it would not do to lose an unnecessary minute1 for the many miles we should have to walk later on loomed unpleasantly ahead1 but ,i knew there were pretty certain to be water and washing-basin behind that door1 and did not intend to leave them unused if ,i could help it1 chokidar or no chokidar4 ,so1 ,i took a butting run with my shoulder1 the door gave1 and ,i set out in search of the water tub4 ,an open door on my right showed me a small room1 absolutely empty1 except for a row of tins against the wall4 ,knowing that petrol was carried in such tin drums ,i went and examined them4 ,the next moment ,allan heard a shout that brought him hastily inside1 wondering whether ,i had gone mad1 had been bitten by a wild beast1 or was being murdered4 ,look6 ,i cried1 as he came running up to me4 ,look at those tins and tell me what's inside6 ,allan seized hold of one of the drums1 read what was written on it1 gave it a shake1 and we could both hear the blessed sound of lapping inside4 ,it's petrol1 sir1 he whispered in an awed voice4 ,petrol in the desert--petrol where one would as soon have expected to find a ,bond ,street jeweller6 ,at first we could neither of us believe it4 ,personally ,i imagined we had both got temporary jim-jams1 but ,allan1 with his usual stolid1 common sense1 opened one of the drums1 tested the contents1 and pronounced it to be first-class petrol4 ,there were seven drums1 each containing four gallons4 ,this means we'll motor1 not walk into ,robat after all1 sir1 said ,allan1 with a grin and sigh of relief4 ,the thought of those miles of desert--nearly two hundred of them--which confronted us after the mishap had been haunting us both like a nightmare4 ,at this moment the chokidar returned1 in great trepidation1 fearing a dressing-down for being absent from duty4 ,but ,i was far too elated at the turn of events to want to swear at anyone4 ,i asked him where the petrol had come from1 and whose it was4 ,he shook his head1 and said he had no idea4 ,it had always been there4 ,it belonged to no one1 and no one had put it there1 so far as he knew4 ,he had never seen a car there before2 in fact1 he had never seen a car anywhere before1 and could not understand how it was that men could travel on a thing which was not alive1 which was not like any horse or camel he had ever seen4 ,this was all very good hearing1 so ,i proceeded to tell him that the petrol belonged to me1 and1 as he quite cheerfully acquiesced1 ,i gave him a receipt which he could show to any ,government official in case of needed absolution in the future4 ,as we now had means to finish our journey by car1 ,i decided to spend the night at the rest-house4 ,after a simple camp meal ,allan1 worn out with the strenuous work of the past two days and night1 was quickly snoring in the deep sleep of exhaustion1 so ,i went for a stroll4 ,as ,i paced up and down ,i tried to draw up some preliminary plan for the coming campaign4 ,but such occupation was somewhat futile1 as1 until ,i could reach ,robat1 ,i had no knowledge at all as to the strength and composition of the force that would be at my disposal4 ,but upon one thing ,i made up my mind--even at that early stage--,i would do my utmost to show these ,raiders1 who were doing us so much harm1 that they could not do this with impunity4 ,the lesson once driven home1 an endeavour should be made to become friendly with them1 to win them back to our side1 and1 so to speak1 appoint them as doorkeepers of the ,baluchistan frontier2 but doorkeepers with their rifles pointed at our enemies instead of at ourselves4 ,in the midst of these meditations ,i found myself stumbling with fatigue1 so1 with a last look at the beauty of the night1 ,i turned indoors1 and in a few minutes was sound asleep1 and making up for the whiteness of the night before4 ,,chapter ,,ii ,,the ,,road ,,to ,,robat ,mushki-chah--,the native contractor--,an evening rencontre--,idu of the ,chagai ,levies--,the native idea of an airship--,idu the invaluable--,robat4 ,on the third day we made good progress1 fate being kind in helping us to avoid the sandy pitfalls which had hitherto been our undoing1 and1 by nightfall1 we found ourselves approaching the post of ,mushki-chah4 ,here we found the road blocked with a number of camel caravans carrying ,government food supplies for our scattered posts along the frontier4 ,these posts were already in difficulties owing to the ,raiders' interference with their commissariat4 ,as can be imagined there was a great deal of noise1 the native drivers gesticulating and talking in a way which proved that something was afoot4 ,i got out of the car and asked who was in charge of the caravan4 ,a huge native contractor was pointed out to me1 and1 summoning him to my side ,i asked him what all the hubbub was about4 ,he was in a state of great agitation and told me that he had received information from several reliable sources that the whole of the countryside ahead of them was in the hands of the ,raiders1 and that1 therefore1 it was useless to go a step further4 ,i expostulated with the man1 pointing out that1 by the terms of his contract1 he must go on1 and that if he did not the soldiers for whom he was bringing supplies would die of starvation4 ,but he was dogged4 ,he knew too well the methods of the ,raiders with the men they captured4 ,it's no use1 ,sahib1 he said1 respectfully but firmly4 ,my men will not go on as they are unarmed1 and a single armed ,raider is enough to hold up the whole caravan4 ,i knew the man was right1 but persisted in my efforts to persuade him to chance it1 pointing out that he might be lucky enough to elude the ,raiders and to win through4 ,if the ,government will give me a military escort ,i will go1 but not without1 was his final word4 ,i had no authority to compel him to go on1 so gave up the struggle4 ,but ,i realised more than ever how imperative it was to endeavour to reach ,robat without a moment's unnecessary delay1 and start conclusions with the ,raiders1 whose menace was growing more dangerous every day4 ,we were1 therefore1 on the road very early next morning1 for ,i hoped to make ,saindak that night4 ,i had intended to go by ,borgar1 but now that ,i knew--for ,i had verified the contractor's statements1 and believed them to be correct--that that place was in the hands of the ,raiders1 ,i elected to go by an alternative route1 known as the ,webb-,ware route1 which is practically out of use nowadays1 hoping1 thereby1 to avoid the enemy4 ,it was still dark when we set off on the most strenuous part of our journey2 climbing1 making dtours1 digging the car out again and again till we were all three worn out in body and temper4 ,we hardly halted that day1 for the necessity for speed was as fully realised by ,allan as by myself4 ,when night fell we had not yet sighted ,saindak1 but ,i knew we could not be very far off1 and cursed the coming of the night which made it impossible to see where we were4 ,i knew we had got off the camel track somehow1 for the ground was even more bumpy than it had been1 and was frequently intersected by nullahs or rocky ravines1 which made the going positively dangerous4 ,if the car were knocked right out of action our difficulties would reach the last stage of disaster4 ,at last1 in despair1 ,allan stopped1 saying it was useless going on any further4 ,we might overturn the car at any moment and smash it as well as ourselves4 ,he submitted that the only sane thing would be to camp just where we were and wait for daylight1 when we might regain the camel track4 ,i knew he was right1 but said ,i would make one final effort on foot to find the track1 and directed him to give me the hurricane lamp we carried on the car4 ,stumbling and slipping over the broken ground in the pitch darkness1 the lamp barely lighting up my immediate path1 ,i had wandered some distance from the car when ,i heard voices4 ,instantly ,i thought of the ,raiders who were over-running the district4 ,it would be too galling1 too humiliating to be captured by them before the campaign1 on which ,i was building such high hopes1 had even begun4 ,noiselessly ,i put out the lamp and listened in the dense darkness4 ,there was absolute silence for some minutes1 and ,i stood stock still4 ,then voices sounded again1 and ,i conjectured that there were not more than two1 or at the most three1 speakers4 ,i thought rapidly1 and finally decided that there would not be many men in front of me4 ,had there been anything approaching an encampment of the ,raiders in the neighbourhood1 there would have been lights1 camp fires and considerable noise4 ,the voices ,i had heard probably belonged to men who had seen the lights of the car1 and had come to find out what it was4 ,i turned swiftly and made my way back to the car1 where ,i had foolishly left my revolver4 ,recovering my weapon ,i warned ,allan in a whisper of the voices ,i had heard1 and told him to be ready to stand by4 ,then ,i made my way back in the darkness1 and when ,i had regained the spot1 called out loudly1 in ,hindustani1 ,who's there8 ,instantly a voice answered1 ,i am ,idu of the ,chagai ,levies1 friendly to the ,british ,government4 ,i then called out who ,i was1 and1 immediately1 three fully armed men came forward in the darkness4 ,i asked them what they were doing there1 and the voice that had answered me before replied that they were all three members of the ,chagai ,levies1 and that they1 and about fifty others1 had come out to fight me4 ,to fight me8 ,i exclaimed4 ,whatever for8 ,well1 ,sahib1 returned the man who had said his name was ,idu1 we thought you were a ,german airship4 ,and he went on to explain that for a long time he and his companions had been watching powerful lights floating about in the sky1 and as they knew that ,germans were the only people in the world who had hawaiijihaz or airships1 they were convinced the lights they had seen belonged to one of these4 ,and when it had alighted on the hill in front of them1 the majority of his companions had been so terrified that they had run away1 and only himself and his two comrades had had the bravery to stay where they were and face the unknown danger4 ,then it dawned on me what he was driving at4 ,the flashing electric lights of the car1 lighting up the distant1 rising slopes of the desert1 had appeared to these men to come from the sky1 and my harmless motor-car the dreaded ,german airship4 ,cars1 of course1 along this route were as great a novelty as airships1 and doubtless not one of the men in front of me had ever seen one before4 ,i reassured them as completely as ,i could1 adding that ,i was delighted to meet such redoubtable warriors1 and hoped that now they would come with me and help me1 as my business was to fight ,germans1 airships and all4 ,this was strictly true1 for1 but for ,german influence1 there would have been no need to wage war on the ,raiders who had only been induced to become our enemies by lying ,german propaganda4 ,idu said they would be only too glad to go with the ,sahib and to help him fight the enemies of the ,british ,raj4 ,he also told me that he had already saved my life once that evening4 ,how was that8 ,i asked1 my spirits rising as ,i gazed through the darkness at my first three recruits4 ,well1 ,sahib1 returned ,idu1 when the airship1 which you say is no airship1 stopped1 in a little while we saw the figure of a man1 carrying a lantern moving towards us1 and ,halil here1 laying his hand on the shoulder of one of his pals1 lifted his rifle and was about to shoot4 ,but ,i said1 ',nay4 ,see1 it is but one man4 ,let us wait and see who he is4' ,and then the lantern went out and there was no longer a target4 ,you did well1 ,idu1 ,i said solemnly4 ,you have most certainly saved my life1 and as you seem to be as intelligent as you are brave1 ,i shall appoint you to my personal staff4 ,i am the officer who has been sent out to take command of the forces along the ,sarhad1 and in ,seistan4 ,but at the present moment my chief concern is to find the right road to ,saindak4 ,can you show it to me8 ,idu laughed4 ,i could lead you there blindfold1 ,sahib4 ,i felt the difficulties of the road were now over1 and1 piloted by these three stalwarts1 the car--a source of the utmost excitement and wonderment to them--,allan1 ,allah-dad and my weary self were1 ere long1 safe in the rest-house of the small mud fort at ,saindak4 ,the following morning1 after a good night's rest1 ,i had a long talk with ,idu1 and the very favourable impression ,i had formed of the man the night before was greatly increased4 ,i found him by daylight to be a highly intelligent-looking1 splendidly proportioned fellow of about five feet eight1 with a big black beard4 ,i had glimpses1 even then1 of the keen sense of humour which was to do so much to lighten the difficulties of the ensuing campaign4 ,never once in all the months to come did ,i find his wit and humour fail4 ,as after-events proved he was absolutely invaluable4 ,in fact1 ,i often called him1 and told him that ,i called him1 my head4 ,not only did he know every yard of the country1 but he knew by name practically every one of the ,raiders1 knew their peculiarities and their weak points as well as their strength4 ,idu was a man in a million1 and ,i should like to think that1 some day1 this public appreciation of him1 and of what he did to help in this campaign1 may reach him4 ,after breakfast and my talk with ,idu1 we set out on the last march of the first phase of my journey1 and reached ,robat by two o'clock in the afternoon4 ,,chapter ,,iii ,a ,,plan ,,of ,,campaign ,an intelligent officer--,matters political--,three tribes and a fourth--,their women and inter-tribal laws--,sarhad conditions--,a summons to the ,chiefs--,a bid for rank--,telegraph wires and ,sheitan--,two first-class liars--,a strategic scheme--,an ungazetted ,general--,lost kit--,swallows and flies--,forces available--,communications freed--,the ,kacha levy and a shock--,mirjawa4 ,my first visit in ,robat was to the officer who had been commanding the scattered ,british forces up to that date4 ,he was a very sick man1 and had been holding out with the utmost difficulty until he could be relieved4 ,here ,i met ,major ,landon of the #ceth ,scinde ,horse1 one of the three ,intelligence ,officers employed by the ,indian ,government in ,persia4 ,i very quickly realised that ,landon was an officer of very high intelligence1 as well as an ,intelligence ,officer1 and that he had a fund of information concerning the country1 and the conditions and characteristics of the inhabitants of both ,persia and ,baluchistan4 ,in fact1 ,i judged that he would be such an asset that1 then and there1 ,i invited him to become my ,brigade-,major1 although ,i ruefully remarked that ,i had1 at present1 no brigade6 ,he was keen to accept1 but did not know how the authorities at ,simla would view his acceptance of such a post1 and asked me whether ,i should be willing to shoulder the responsibility of annexing him for the campaign4 ,considering that my shoulders were broad enough1 ,i promptly replied that my orders had been to take command of all the scattered forces ,i could find and co-ordinate them1 and that ,i looked upon him as my second find1 ,idu and his two companions being the first4 ,further1 that he was here as ,intelligence ,officer and would acquire no intelligence sitting down in ,robat1 whereas1 if he came with me1 he would get all he wanted at first hand6 ,i set myself to pick up all the information ,i could about the conditions of ,british influence in this part of ,persia1 and on the borders of ,afghanistan4 ,to make it in any way clear why we had any influence here at all we must revert to the old fear of the threatened advance of ,russia on ,india1 in the days before ,russia became our ally in the ,great ,war4 ,slowly and gradually ,russia had been extending her influence in the ,pamirs until her outposts on the ,oxus ,river were only eight marches from ,chitral4 ,evidently1 as a wide counter1 strategic move1 the ,indian ,government had sought to increase its own influence with ,persia and ,afghanistan by pushing forward her outposts to ,robat and ,nasaratabad4 ,consequently1 at the time of which ,i am writing1 ,robat1 ,nasaratabad and ,birjand were held lightly by chains of small posts composed entirely of ,indian troops and some local levies commanded by ,british officers4 ,our lines of communication running from ,birjand to ,nushki1 a distance of about six hundred miles1 were held1 in widely scattered posts1 by only one battalion of ,indian ,infantry and one regiment of ,indian ,cavalry and four mountain guns4 ,thus it will be seen that it was very difficult to obtain any troops for a movable column4 ,a ,british ,consulate had also been established at ,nasaratabad1 which is on the borders of ,afghanistan and ,persia4 ,during the ,war the importance and influence of the ,consul increased considerably1 as he was in a position to gather information which was of great value to the military commanders1 who constantly sought his advice4 ,there was also a ,baluch ,political ,officer1 known as the ,sarhad-dar1 who worked under orders from the ,british ,political ,officer at ,quetta4 ,the ,sarhad-dar1 to a certain degree1 controlled the ,sarhadi ,raiders1 occasionally with the help of the ,chagai ,levies1 which were raised by the ,indian ,government for this particular work4 ,supplies were brought to these scattered posts by camel caravans from ,india4 ,communication with ,india was maintained by means of the telegraph4 ,later on it became necessary to send out a wireless troop from ,india to establish communication between my force at ,khwash and ,saindak4 ,at the same time ,i did my best to learn all ,i could about the tribes amongst whom ,i was going to operate1 their ways and customs1 and the nature of the country in which they lived4 ,a glance at the map will show the situation and boundaries of the ,sarhad--literally meaning boundary4 ,it will be seen that it extends from ,jalk in the ,east to ,galugan in the ,west4 ,the ,eastern part1 from ,jalk to ,safed-koh1 is held by a tribe known as the ,gamshadzais1 under their notable leader1 ,halil ,khan4 ,the central portion is held by the ,yarmahommedzais under ,jiand ,khan1 an elderly man1 who has been undisputed chief1 and a sort of over-lord of the whole of the ,sarhad1 for very many years4 ,he has been looked upon by his own and neighbouring tribes as well-nigh a demi-god4 ,as ,jiand enters later1 and largely1 into this narrative all further description of him will be reserved till actual contact is established with him4 ,khwash--known also as ,vasht or ,washt--is the capital of the ,sarhad1 and is situated within ,jiand's jurisdiction1 although he is not the actual owner of the town4 ,the word ,khwash literally means sweet1 and1 ,i believe1 owes its name to the water1 which is1 by the way1 quite warm when it appears at the surface of the ground in the immediate vicinity4 ,the ,western portion of the ,sarhad1 extending roughly from ,khwash to ,galugan1 is held by the ,ismailzais under their redoubtable leader1 ,juma ,khan4 ,all three of these tribes possess approximately one thousand families apiece1 and1 of course1 each family has many members1 as well as large numbers of camels1 and herds of sheep and goats4 ,each of these tribes1 at the time of which ,i write1 could muster1 roughly1 from one to two thousand riflemen1 chiefly armed with ,mauser rifles and modern ammunition4 ,south of ,robat lay a fourth tribe1 the ,rekis1 fewer in number than any one of those already mentioned4 ,this tribe was entirely friendly to the ,british1 and1 although nominally under a leader called ,ibrahim1 paid more heed to ,idu1 who1 as ,i have already said1 was one of the most remarkable men ,i have ever had the pleasure of meeting4 ,he was also a ,havildar 7,sergeant7 in the ,chagai ,levies2 a local force raised by the ,indian ,government4 ,these various tribes all belong to the ,sunni branch of the ,mahommedan religion1 and are of ,arab origin4 ,as a whole they are a fine-looking set of men1 slim and graceful1 with fine1 intelligent faces1 and aquiline features4 ,their hair is allowed to grow unrestricted1 and falls in long black ringlets1 on either side of the face1 in true ,king ,charles ,i4 style4 ,in fact1 one of these men1 with whom ,i afterwards made good friends1 was nicknamed ,charles ,i4 on sight1 as1 with his flowing ringlets and short pointed beard1 he bore such a strong resemblance to the pictures of that unfortunate monarch4 ,these men are fine skirmishers1 and will fight with the utmost bravery when well led1 and have confidence in their leaders4 ,being nomads1 they possess but few villages1 such as ,khwash1 ,gusht1 and ,jalk2 which consist of a mud fort or forts and a few houses4 ,their lives are spent for the most part in tents1 called ,jugis1 which are made of camels' hair1 dyed black1 and are pitched wherever a convenient spot can be found4 ,wives1 families and herds accompany them on their wanderings from place to place4 ,their womenkind are often good-looking1 and usually lighter skinned than the men4 ,the women's endurance1 too1 is wonderful1 for they can climb the precipitous hills with as much agility as the men1 bear the hardships of long marches1 the violent summer heat and the intense cold of the winter nights with great fortitude4 ,they go unveiled1 and appear to be treated well by their husbands and sons4 ,in fact1 in some notable instances1 the women of the ,sarhad exercise great influence over their husbands1 and1 when this is so1 rule with the proverbial rod of iron4 ,each man is allowed four wives1 and1 though he does not always acquire this number1 he never exceeds it4 ,the tribes literally live by raiding4 ,they know no fear1 and seldom show mercy4 ,they not only raid travellers but villages1 and1 on occasion1 large towns4 ,these raids have been known to be pushed as far as ,meshed1 the sacred town and ,mecca of ,persia1 which lies far away in the ,north upon the ,turkestan border4 ,such expeditions are carried out with immense skill and cunning1 and are seldom unsuccessful4 ,the raiders not only loot jewels1 carpets1 food1 cattle and herds1 but women and children1 whom they subject to a life of utter misery4 ,persian ladies are frequently carried off in this way1 to become eventually abject slaves subject to inter-tribal barter4 ,the prices paid for such slaves naturally vary according to quality1 age and looks4 ,as much as three hundred rupees may be taken as an average price for a young woman1 and as little as twenty-five rupees for a small child4 ,but1 although they are utterly lawless in regard to other people1 their few inter-tribal laws are fairly strictly observed4 ,these laws1 however1 chiefly consist of the doctrine that ,might is ,right and ,success pardons all ,sins4 ,in the ,sarhad a man is expected to tell the truth--unless a lie better suits his purpose4 ,any oath given on the ,koran is binding1 provided a ,mullah or priest is present4 ,otherwise such an oath is as often honoured in the breach as in the observance4 ,they have1 however1 some standards of honour to which they strictly adhere4 ,if1 for instance1 they come as invited guests to your camp1 or if you go as an invited guest to theirs1 treachery is not thought of4 ,the laws of hospitality1 as in nearly all ,eastern countries1 are strictly maintained4 ,their food consists mostly of flour-cake1 made1 as a rule1 of barley1 though occasionally of wheat1 and goat-flesh and wild herbs4 ,as their herds always travel with them1 except when fighting or raiding1 there is always a plentiful supply of meat and milk4 ,their slaves1 on the contrary1 are half starved1 and present the most pitiful contrast to their own women and children1 who are well fed1 healthy and provided with ample clothing4 ,their country1 the ,sarhad1 is very arid1 sandy1 sparsely cultivated1 and crossed by range upon range of bare volcanic hills1 with rugged peaks and precipitous sides4 ,some of these hills rise to considerable heights1 as1 for example1 the ,koh-i-,bazman1 overlooking ,bampur in the ,south4 ,this peak reaches an altitude of eleven thousand four hundred feet4 ,the ,koh-i-,taftan is another1 of something over thirteen thousand feet1 and is snow-capped in ,winter and early ,spring1 despite the fact that it is an active volcano4 ,the word ,taftan signifies boiling4 ,its crater possesses two main outlets1 from which clouds of sulphur-smoke are constantly being emitted4 ,the whole summit is in consequence covered with white ash1 so giving it a wonderfully imposing and picturesque appearance from a distance1 especially at sunset or sunrise4 ,the effect is very like that of ,fuji-,yama1 but certainly on a grander scale4 ,the hills of this district are all of volcanic origin1 and1 for this reason1 rich in sulphur and sal-ammoniac deposits4 ,the low-lying country obviously once formed the bed of a sea1 for the fossils to be found here in quantity are of marine origin1 and the soil is thickly impregnated with salt4 ,fresh water is very scarce1 though large salt water lakes are fairly frequent4 ,it is interesting to think how much could be done with this country were some scheme of irrigation introduced4 ,the natives have a simple method of supplying water to meet their wants4 ,this is done by means of karezes1 underground channels which tap underground springs and so bring the water to where it is wanted4 ,trees are occasionally planted by these karezes1 in the towns1 but otherwise are scarcely ever seen in this inhospitable1 arid region1 where it is even hard to find sufficient food for camels1 horses or herds1 when on the march4 ,there are occasional valleys through which a small stream may flow for a certain distance1 but which1 very soon1 disappears again into the sand4 ,in those rare spots where water is plentiful the luxuriance of the vegetation is phenomenal1 proving how fertile the country might become were it irrigated in the same way as are certain parts of ,india4 ,wheat1 barley1 spinach1 cucumbers1 pumpkins and green vegetables grow readily where water exists4 ,climatic conditions in these regions are curiously extreme4 ,great cold prevails in the ,winter1 but the heat in ,spring and ,summer is terrific4 ,there is1 too1 a curious feeling of intense lightness in the atmosphere which induces a queer feeling of emptiness in those unaccustomed to its rarified quality4 ,a hot wind1 impregnated with sand1 blows in ,seistan more or less continually from ,april to ,july1 so adding to the general discomfort of the white man4 ,this wind is known as the ,sad-o-bistroz 7literally1 wind which blows for one hundred and twenty days74 ,but1 though disagreeable and irritating1 this wind saves the health of the ,seistani inhabitants during the most trying months of the year1 as it checks malaria by blowing away the mosquitoes4 ,this rather vague1 and very incomplete1 attempt at a sketch of the people who were causing such serious trouble to our ,government1 and of the country in which they lived1 may1 at any rate1 serve to give some idea of the foe1 and his terrain1 in this small but terse campaign which ,i shall make an attempt to describe in the following chapters4 ,it grew more evident daily that it was necessary to organise a movable column to operate against the ,raiders as soon as possible4 ,there were more troops at ,nasaratabad than at any other post1 and ,i considered that some of these might well be taken for the purpose4 ,moreover1 there was a ,british ,consul there whose advice and information would be very valuable4 ,accordingly1 ,landon and ,i arranged to go there by car on the first possible day4 ,but ,i thought it would be a good preliminary move to find out exactly how the land lay with regard to the ,raiders1 and to force them1 so to speak1 to declare their policy towards us4 ,i therefore told the local ,baluchi political officer to send out notices to ,jiand ,khan1 the leader of the ,yarmahommedzais1 to ,halil ,khan1 the leader of the ,gamshadzais1 to ,juma ,khan1 leader of the ,ismailzais1 and to the leader of the ,rekis1 to meet the new ,british ,general1 just arrived from ,india1 so that counsel might be taken together on a certain date at a small post called ,kacha4 ,of course1 from all ,i had heard1 ,i did not for one moment expect these ,raider ,chiefs to keep the rendezvous4 ,but if1 by some amazing chance1 they did1 we might come to some amicable arrangement and so avoid actual fighting4 ,if1 on the other hand1 they refused to do so1 it would be tantamount to a declaration of war4 ,a few days later ,i kept the appointment ,i had made1 but1 with the exception of the ,reki leaders1 who assured me of their consistent loyalty to the ,british1 not a single ,raider ,chief turned up4 ,thereupon ,i returned to ,robat and planned my campaign4 ,already ,i could see ,i was going to be badly handicapped by my lack of rank1 and determined to make a bid for the rank which would give me more authority4 ,with this object in view ,i sent a telegram to ,general ,kirkpatrick--already mentioned as ,chief of ,staff at ,simla1 and acting as ,commander-in-,chief in the absence of ,general ,sir ,beauchamp ,duff--asking him to make me a ,general1 and stating baldly that ,i considered it necessary4 ,it may seem strange that1 in this wild1 desolate country1 largely in the hands of lawless1 rebellious tribes1 it was possible to send a telegram at all4 ,but a fine telegraph line1 right across ,persia1 connecting ,europe with ,india1 has been in existence for over fifty years4 ,the concession to erect this line was obtained from the ,shah by ,mr ,eastwick in #ahfb1 then ,british ,charg d',affaires in ,teheran4 ,there had been long negotiations over this concession1 which had been consistently refused by the ,persian ,government2 but the ,shah's personal friendship for ,mr ,eastwick prevailed where diplomatic negotiations had failed4 ,it was a particularly advantageous arrangement for us1 as1 by the contract drawn up by the ,persian ,government in #ahfd1 that ,government undertook to construct a telegraph line from the ,persian frontier1 near ,baghdad1 to ,india1 at the expense of ,persia1 but to place it under the control of ,british officers4 ,this and other telegraph lines had not been interfered with or cut in any way by the ,raiders1 for the simple reason that they have strong superstitious fears of telegraph wires1 and imagine them in some way to be in close communication with ,sheitans 7devils74 ,illustration3 ,a ,,good ,,liar4 ,landon's orderly and chief spy4 ,whilst ,i was awaiting a reply to my urgent request for an advance in rank1 ,idu1 ,landon and ,i took counsel together4 ,i asked ,idu whether he had two first-class liars amongst his friends1 in whom he could place implicit trust4 ,his eyes twinkled as he assured me he had many friends on whose complete fidelity1 as well as on whose absolute qualifications1 he could rely4 ,i then unfolded to him my scheme4 ,it was quite obvious that it would be utterly impossible to defeat the ,raiders in open fight4 ,they numbered several thousands of fully armed men1 amply equipped1 and supplied with all the ammunition and food they needed4 ,they were also in their own country1 every yard of which they knew well4 ,in a straightforward fight any small force we could muster would be wiped out in a few minutes4 ,but as it was necessary to fight and beat those ,raiders1 who were doing us such immeasurable damage1 bluff must be used to strengthen our arms4 ,i suggested to ,idu that he should procure his two skilled friends and tell them1 at the outset1 that if they succeeded in the plan entrusted to them their pockets would be literally lined with rupees4 ,they were1 then1 to run away from me to the two principal ,raider ,chiefs1 ,jiand and ,halil ,khan1 and their story was to be that they had managed to escape from the great and famous ,british ,general who had just arrived with five thousand fully armed troops4 ,also1 that this ,general ,dyer was greatly incensed at their disobedient method of treating his summons to meet him at ,kacha1 and that he was starting in great force to attack them1 but that he was planning to march first against ,halil ,khan in the direction of ,jalk4 ,if ,idu's men succeeded in making the ,raiders swallow all this1 the immediate stroke ,i had in view1 namely1 an attack on ,khwash1 might hope for some success4 ,it would at any rate draw the ,raiders off the lines of communication and so enable supply caravans to proceed to ,robat4 ,idu was greatly taken with the idea4 ,it appealed to his sense of humour1 and he had soon produced his two spies1 on whom1 he assured us1 he could rely as on himself4 ,their mission fully explained1 ,idu's friends started off at once4 ,meanwhile1 though ,i was not yet a ,general ,i determined to act the part4 ,the #bhth ,light ,cavalry made crossed swords for my shoulders and the necessary red tabs4 ,the former were considerably bigger than the regulation pattern1 but were otherwise well made4 ,then ,landon and ,i went off by car to ,nasaratabad4 ,we found the place to be a small mud-walled enclosure with walls of great thickness4 ,inside the enclosure were something like a hundred shops1 for the most part kept by ,persian soldiers1 whose military duties are not usually onerous4 ,we made our way to the ,consul's house1 and had a very interesting interview with him4 ,whilst we were there a telegram arrived from ,simla informing me that ,i had been promoted to the rank of ,brigadier-,general4 ,this was a great relief1 for ,i now no longer felt an impostor4 ,as a set-off against this bit of good news1 ,i heard that the whole of my kit1 which had followed me from ,nushki1 had been captured by the ,raiders4 ,in addition they had killed my horse1 ,galahad1 robbed the groom of all his clothing and torn his golden ear-rings from his ears4 ,on my return to ,robat he came to me stark naked1 with his nerves utterly shattered1 and absolutely useless for any further service4 ,we also met ,colonel ,claridge1 who was commanding the #bhth ,cavalry and the troops at ,nasaratabad4 ,i asked him to send to ,robat as soon as possible all the food supplies he could collect1 two mountain guns1 a squadron of cavalry1 and as many infantry as he could spare4 ,i was very disappointed1 however1 at the few troops available at ,nasaratabad for the expedition1 but ,i realised that the situation in ,afghanistan demanded the presence of a fairly strong garrison at ,nasaratabad itself4 ,on the way back to ,robat we stopped at a post where ,i was accommodated in a room with a domed mud roof1 which had been whitewashed4 ,as ,i lay on my blankets in the morning1 gazing up at the roof1 ,i noticed that the dome was covered with small black spots4 ,as the light grew stronger ,i realised that they were flies1 thousands of them1 in a comatose condition1 owing to the cold of the night4 ,as the morning advanced1 swallows flew in by the open door1 and1 fluttering round the dome1 picked off the helpless flies one by one1 until not a single one was left4 ,directly we reached ,robat ,landon and ,i set to work on our plans4 ,after considerable thought we determined to make an attempt to capture ,khwash1 the capital of the ,sarhad1 and so endeavour to entice the ,raiders off our lines of communication4 ,but it took some time to get the guns and food supplies to ,robat1 for ,robat was quite one hundred miles from ,nasaratabad4 ,it was also necessary to get in enough supplies for a month at least1 as it was useless placing reliance on anything reaching us from ,india4 ,in other words we had to be quite independent of all lines of communication4 ,at last the two guns1 and supplies1 under ,major ,mac,gowan1 reached ,robat1 where were now collected about a dozen or fifteen of ,idu's ,chagai ,levies1 and seventeen ,sawars of the #bhth ,light ,cavalry under ,lieutenant ,hirst4 ,but ,i still had no infantry4 ,that1 however1 ,i hoped to get at ,kacha1 the garrison of which consisted of a hundred sepoys of the #aith ,punjab ,infantry1 and two maxim guns4 ,therefore1 ,landon and ,i arranged to go to ,kacha for the infantry1 while ,mac,gowan proceeded with his two guns1 seventeen cavalrymen and supplies1 direct to ,mirjawa1 via ,saindak4 ,we would then join him there1 as soon as we had collected the infantry for our advance on ,khwash4 ,our real movements had been kept marvellously secret1 whilst the news of the five thousand fully armed troops under my command had been spread far and near by ,idu's spies2 the consequence being that the ,raiders were all quietly retiring1 from raids upon our lines of communication1 to organise their own lashkars 7armies71 and their own defence4 ,thus1 and at any rate temporarily1 the lines of communication of our scattered frontier posts were cleared1 and without striking a blow4 ,one small objective had at least been accomplished4 ,while ,mac,gowan's little force was making its way to ,mirjawa1 ,landon and ,i rode to ,kacha1 reaching that place on the #bnd of ,april4 ,there ,lieutenant ,yates1 of the #abth ,pioneers1 paraded all the men he could lay his hands on in front of the mess-house1 and1 as we rode up1 gave the order for the men to present arms4 ,the result was a shock4 ,i dismounted and called on all those men who had ever fired a shot in their lives to fall out4 ,to my dismay only nine men obeyed4 ,lieutenant ,yates told me that he had done his best with the men1 but the greater proportion of them were mere raw recruits4 ,it was a bitter disappointment1 and it was very obvious that a great deal of brick-making had to be done without straw4 ,but there was nothing else for it4 ,these were the only men1 trained or untrained1 available for the expedition1 and ,i had to be thankful for them4 ,i took the nine trained soldiers1 sixty-five of the untrained recruits1 and two maxim guns belonging to the #abth ,pioneers1 and1 with these1 ,landon and ,i made our way to the rendezvous at ,mirjawa1 where we all met on the evening of the #fth of ,april4 ,,chapter ,,iv ,,bluff ,,and ,,arms ,ladis and its fort--,a force without arms--,first sight of the enemy--,shah ,sawar and more bluff--,battle--,bluff succeeds--,casualties--,bad news from the ,north--,idu's proposition--,jiand's stragglers--,jiand's white flag4 ,the following day we marched to ,ladis1 reaching that place just before nightfall1 and without incident4 ,ladis is a camping place situated in a comparatively fertile tract of country fully four thousand feet above sea-level on the slopes of the famous ,koh-i-taftan4 ,a considerable stream flows through the valley4 ,if this stream were exploited for irrigation purposes the whole district could be made most productive and profitable4 ,the climate is far better than in the greater part of the ,sarhad1 and there is an abundance of chikor and other partridges1 ibex1 and wolves4 ,on the right bank of the stream is a fine old deserted fort1 which is far more substantially built than the occupied forts of ,khwash and ,jalk1 but it has been ruined by the disintegrating effect of the water on the banks on which it is built4 ,a passage at the base of it indicates that at one time an underground tunnel connected the fort1 which lies on the right bank1 with the left bank1 thus affording a means of escape1 or of reinforcement1 for the garrison4 ,we found1 waiting for us at ,ladis1 a band of about fifty ,rekis1 who had come to join the expedition in answer to an urgent appeal from ,idu4 ,i found they had no arms1 ammunition or equipment1 and asked them where their rifles were4 ,we have none1 ,sahib1 their spokesman replied4 ,we thought the ,general ,sahib would give us rifles4 ,i was obliged to tell them that we had no spare arms1 but as every extra man would be an asset in our great game of bluff ,i was not going to let them go1 and would find some means of utilising their services4 ,at first they were greatly disappointed to find that they were not going to be awarded a free issue of ,british rifles1 and commented on the absurdity of a force of the size they saw before them attempting to attack the great ,raider ,chief1 ,jiand ,khan4 ,why1 ,sahib1 the spokesman said1 ,jiand has fully two thousand well-armed men1 all out to meet you4 ,they will wipe you out in about two minutes4 ,if it came to an open fight we all knew that this was literally true4 ,but we were relying on bluff and luck4 ,the local political officer1 a ,baluch1 was entirely of the ,rekis' way of thinking1 and did his utmost to persuade us to turn back and save our skins4 ,but we had not come so far to turn back4 ,orders were1 therefore1 given to go forward4 ,fortunately for us1 and before we struck camp early on the following morning1 another political officer arrived to supersede him--a man of totally different calibre4 ,khan ,bahadur1 the ,sarhad-dar 7the chief political officer of all matters concerning the ,sarhad7 was full of fight1 greatly taken with our game of bluff1 and fully prepared to enter into its spirit1 the only spirit which could possibly bring such an enterprise as ours to a successful conclusion4 ,from ,ladis the force marched ,south in the direction of ,khwash1 covering about eighteen miles4 ,this was not bad going when it is remembered that the average rate for a camel caravan over rough sandy country of this sort is about ten or twelve miles a day4 ,we camped that night in a narrow valley1 surrounded by hills1 and with a good water supply4 ,the following day the march was resumed1 and we were beginning to wonder how soon we should get in touch with ,jiand's forces when our advance scouts reported that the enemy was just ahead1 and encamped on the low hills running out in spurs from the ,koh-i-,taftan4 ,our force was halted1 and1 riding forward myself1 ,i dismounted and took a good look at the enemy's position4 ,this appeared to be1 as ,i had to admit to myself1 a very strong one1 and1 as far as ,i could gather1 it looked as if it had been no idle report that ,jiand's force numbered something like two thousand men4 ,in any case we were in for it now1 and must take our chances as they came4 ,i rode back1 ordered the mountain guns to be brought up to some low hills on the left1 and the cavalry to move forward under cover to the right4 ,the transport camels1 numbering about six hundred1 now came up1 under cover1 and were put in charge of the sixty-five untrained infantrymen4 ,the two machine guns were brought up to a favourable position in the centre1 and our little force was now fully deployed for action4 ,at this moment a man mounted on a camel was seen coming from the enemy's camp1 accompanied by a man on foot carrying a white flag of truce4 ,when the messenger had approached nearer the ,sarhad-dar exclaimed1 ,why1 it is ,shah ,sawar himself6 ,illustration3 ,,questioning ,a ,,sarhadi ,,prisoner4 ,now ,shah ,sawar was a very famous ,raider ,chief1 and a relation of ,jiand's4 ,at one time he had been the owner and governor of ,khwash1 but it appears that he had greatly coveted1 as a bride1 a very beautiful lady known as the ,gul-,bibi1 or ,rose ,lady4 ,as usual1 negotiations were conducted between the prospective bridegroom and the lady's nearest male relative1 who1 in this instance1 happened to be a somewhat weak-charactered man named ,mahommed-,hassan4 ,the price that ,mahommed-,hassan placed on the ,gul-,bibi was no less than the ownership of ,khwash itself4 ,shaw ,sawar's infatuation drove him to pay the price1 though1 from what ,i came to know of the ruffian afterwards1 ,i am perfectly convinced that he had every intention of recovering his patrimony as soon as a favourable opportunity presented itself4 ,when he rode up to me1 preceded by the flag of truce1 ,i was struck by his fine appearance4 ,he announced that he had come with a message from his kinsman1 ,jiand ,khan1 to the effect that1 ,if the ,general ,sahib1 accompanied by only one man1 would meet ,jiand half-way1 ,jiand1 also accompanied by one man1 would meet him and discuss the situation4 ,of course the very last thing ,i wanted to do was to prolong any negotiations4 ,every moment that passed increased the danger that our bluff would be discovered1 for it was quite obvious that1 up to date1 ,jiand believed in the existence of the great force being brought against him under a ,british ,general1 as reported to him by ,idu's spies4 ,therefore1 it was necessary to bluster1 and answer indignantly1 ,how dare you come to a ,british ,general with any such proposal from a scoundrel like ,jiand8 ,go back and tell him that ,i am coming1 not half-way1 but the whole way1 and at once4 ,i will give you time to take him my message4 ,i will then fire a shot into the air as the signal that hostilities have begun1 and the attack1 which will wipe him out1 will commence4 ,shah ,sawar was visibly impressed1 and1 after a few moments' hesitation1 beckoned to the man who had come with him4 ,after a whispered colloquy the latter returned to ,jiand with the ,general ,sahib's message4 ,shah ,sawar himself said that he intended to remain with me4 ,he was obviously cowed and bewildered4 ,he firmly believed we had a great army in the low hills behind us1 and deemed it safer to remain with us as a prisoner than to return to ,jiand's camp and engage in a battle against five thousand troops--which he could not see from his present position6 ,whilst the messenger was racing back to ,jiand the seventeen cavalrymen were ordered to show themselves1 and as they topped the hills1 apparently the advance guard of a great force1 their big horses looked most imposing4 ,lieutenant ,hirst1 commanding them1 was directed to make a pretence of threatening the left flank and rear of ,jiand's position1 but ordered not to go too close6 ,then1 as soon as information came that ,jiand's messenger had reached his camp--some six hundred yards distant--and had had time to deliver his message1 one of the ,chagai ,levies was ordered to fire a shot into the air as a signal that the battle had begun4 ,he pulled his trigger1 but nothing happened4 ,i told him to try again4 ,again he pulled the trigger1 and this time with the desired result4 ,the battle had begun4 ,the order to charge was given4 ,the cavalry moved rapidly to the right1 the machine guns rattled1 and the infantry--nine trained men and a handful of ,chagai ,levies1 rushed forward in the centre4 ,what happened in the enemy's camp ,i only learned afterwards1 but it appears to have been as follows3 ,jiand1 seeing the cavalry advancing as if to threaten his retreat1 really believed that the mythical army of five thousand was commencing its attack in full force1 and1 mounting his own camel1 he gave an order which literally amounted to a sauve qui peut4 ,in any case1 and in a moment1 his force was scattered in a frenzy of terror1 and in full retreat1 amongst the hills and valleys4 ,for a moment ,landon and ,i looked at each other4 ,then1 as we realised that the great bluff had succeeded1 we rushed forward1 with a loud whoop1 closely accompanied by the ,sarhad-dar4 ,as we were mounted1 we got ahead of the others1 and actually overtook a number of ,jiand's men retreating down a nullah4 ,we emptied our revolvers into them1 and some of our infantry coming up1 their terror was increased1 for they thought they had been trapped by overwhelming numbers4 ,the enemy had suffered a loss of seven killed4 ,on our side we had one man wounded1 and ,i honestly believe he was wounded by one of our own untrained infantrymen1 who1 in the excitement and enthusiasm of the moment1 had disobeyed orders and joined in the chase4 ,by the evening there was no one left in sight to chase1 so we halted and made preparations to camp where we were4 ,only a few hours before we had known that if the truth of our numbers had leaked out not one of us would live till night to tell the tale4 ,fortunately the secret had been well kept1 and1 although we had only accounted for seven of the enemy1 it was obvious we had won a decisive victory4 ,jiand's entire force was scattered and demoralised1 and it would take him a considerable time1 even when he did learn how he had been tricked1 to collect them again4 ,he was a very notable man1 with enormous power and prestige1 not only with his own tribe1 the ,yarmahommedzais1 but with all the nomad tribes of the district1 and was regarded as a personage by the ,governments of both ,india and of ,persia4 ,his defeat would be a very bitter pill for him to swallow4 ,although he was looked on by the ,ismailzais and the ,gamshadzais as a sort of over-lord1 even of their own ,chiefs1 there was always great rivalry between the various tribes1 and he would know that ,juma ,khan1 whilst outwardly sympathising with him1 would1 in reality1 be jubilant4 ,accordingly1 and for the sake of his own prestige1 he must make the most of the forces brought against him4 ,that very evening ,i learned from one of his men1 who had been overtaken and brought back as a prisoner1 that he had given out that he had had seven hundred men killed and amongst the number was his own favourite son4 ,the death of this son1 ,i afterwards found1 was a bitter blow to the famous old ,chief1 and ,i have always been sorry that he credited my hand as being the one which had struck him down1 though this was absolutely untrue4 ,seven men multiplied by a hundred was not bad as a free advertisement4 ,but ,i determined to go one better4 ,seven hundred6 ,i retorted to the trembling prisoner4 ,nonsense6 ,if you had said seven thousand1 it would be far nearer the mark4 ,now the great thing was to make the most of our almost bloodless victory near ,koh-i-taftan1 and pursue ,jiand and his men as far as possible amongst the rocky fastnesses of the hills into which they had fled4 ,if only the old ruffian could be persuaded to surrender before the bluff was called1 it would be just possible to make the other tribes think that the whole game was up1 and so make terms with us2 thus obviating a long and harassing campaign4 ,so we pursued him for two days1 as far as ,kamalabad1 his own special winter headquarters1 nearly overtaking him4 ,but he just eluded us as we entered the place by riding out at the other end1 and so escaped into the ,morpeish ,hills1 where it was quite hopeless to think of following him with our very small force4 ,on the other hand1 if we left him there1 he became an hourly menace4 ,it could be only a question of time before ,jiand would be bound to learn how he had been duped4 ,he would then collect his men once more1 summon the other tribes to his assistance1 and wipe out our little force as he might have done1 had he only known1 at ,koh-i-taftan4 ,moreover1 news had just reached us of an untoward little incident which had occurred away to the ,west of ,robat4 ,a small ,british force had been operating in the vicinity of ,nasaratabad-sippi 7not to be confused with ,nasaratabad in ,seistan7 and this force had been attacked in overwhelming numbers by the ,ismailzais1 under ,juma ,khan4 ,it had suffered considerable loss1 not only in men1 but in mules1 rifles1 and1 most important of all1 ammunition4 ,the ,british officer commanding had fought ably and had averted disaster1 but the losses had been sufficient to create a rumour that ,juma ,khan had scored an exaggerated victory4 ,this must undoubtedly be avenged1 and the only hope of doing so was to strike at once1 and whilst ,jiand's forces were still scattered and demoralised4 ,landon1 the ,sarhad-dar1 ,idu and ,i immediately took counsel together4 ,we discussed the reports of the various scouts who had been sent out in every direction4 ,it appeared that the redoubtable ,jiand had received a great shock1 and that his nerves were thoroughly shattered4 ,he had dearly loved his son1 and the loss was a great grief4 ,he also firmly believed he had lost a great number of his followers in killed and wounded1 and his pride was suffering badly in the loss of his prestige as a practically unbeaten ,chief4 ,then ,idu evolved a brilliant scheme by which he believed we should be able to lure ,jiand1 in his present broken state1 to surrender4 ,kamalabad1 where we were at present encamped1 and which was ,jiand's favourite winter residence1 is one of the few spots in the ,sarhad well irrigated and consequently well cultivated4 ,the place is freely intersected with karezes1 from which the fields are systematically watered4 ,moreover1 the valley is watered on its ,western side by a stream which gushes out of the ground1 and1 after flowing past ,gazo1 winds round the ,northern slopes of the ,morpeish ,hills and the ,sar-i-drokan1 to lose itself soon afterwards in the sand4 ,kamalabad is not1 strictly speaking1 a village1 as there are no houses there4 ,but it becomes densely populated when ,jiand's nomad families camp there in their jugis during the winter months4 ,beyond this fertile valley1 which for half the year is teeming with life1 though it is practically deserted during the summer months1 the ,morpeish ,hills rise abruptly and precipitately out of the plain to a height of ten thousand feet4 ,on the farther side of these hills1 and shut in beyond by the ,sar-i-drokan ,range1 rising to about the same height as the ,morpeish ,hills1 and running parallel with them for a distance of about seventy-five miles1 is another valley1 ,jiand's favourite summer haunt4 ,it will thus be seen that it was utterly impossible to think of attempting to drive ,jiand out of his refuge4 ,even supposing that we succeeded in dislodging him from the ,morpeish ,hills he would at once make for the ,sar-i-drokan1 a range which would be still more difficult to negotiate1 apart from the fact that it would draw us farther and farther from our base and any hope of supplies4 ,but it was evident that something must be done1 and done quickly4 ,idu's proposal was1 therefore1 the only one offering any hope of success4 ,all the crops of wheat and barley in the ,kamalabad ,valley were then at their full growth1 though still green1 and it was upon these crops1 when harvested1 that ,jiand and the entire ,yarmahommedzai tribe relied for their yearly bread supply4 ,idu's idea was substantially this1 that we should send a message to ,jiand1 whilst he still believed himself pursued by a vast force1 summon him to surrender forthwith1 and tell him that1 if he failed to comply with the instant summons1 the whole of his crops would be destroyed4 ,anyhow the idea was worth trying4 ,accordingly1 trustworthy messengers were sent to him telling him that if he surrendered himself on behalf of his tribe1 before sundown on the following day1 the lives of himself and his followers would be safe1 and his crops would be spared4 ,if1 however1 he failed to surrender by the appointed time1 six hundred camels1 which had already arrived with the advance guard of the great force operating against him1 would be turned loose in his fields1 and1 as he well knew1 would make very short work of his crops4 ,the hours that passed between the sending out of the messengers1 and the time limit for ,jiand's surrender1 were very anxious ones4 ,would bluff continue to carry us through1 or had the bubble been pricked8 ,during that day news reached us from stragglers1 who came trembling to join us at ,kamalabad1 that many of the old people and women of ,jiand's tribe were in great distress4 ,during the headlong flight of himself and his fighting men the weaklings were left behind1 and1 in their terror1 they had fled into all sorts of hiding places where there was neither water nor food4 ,orders were immediately given that they were to be reassured and succoured in every way1 and that food and water were to be supplied to them1 also jugis1 wherever possible1 to shelter them4 ,the day passed and the time limit was rapidly running out when1 between four and five o'clock in the afternoon1 we saw a little group of men emerge from the ,morpeish ,hills1 carrying a white flag4 ,these men approached and announced that they had come as emissaries from ,jiand ,khan1 who was on his way to surrender4 ,he admitted his defeat by the overwhelming numbers brought against him1 said he knew it was no use continuing to fight against them1 and that his heart was broken by the loss of his son4 ,for the sake of his people he must save the crops or they would surely die4 ,therefore1 if the ,general ,sahib swore on his honour that the lives of himself and his men would be safe1 and that his crops would be spared1 he would surrender4 ,,chapter ,v ,,khwash ,,and ,,more ,,bluff ,jiand's surrender--,a political lecture--,jiand's oath--,bluff for ,khwash--,the army moves forward--,khwash and its fort--,mahommed-,hassan comes in--,beetles as scavengers--,halil ,khan comes in--,rifle prices1 a comparison--,idu's warning--,news of ,izzat--,order of march--,bluff for ,bampur--,the meteor hole4 ,at five o'clock ,jiand arrived riding a camel1 and followed by a few attendants4 ,i went forward to meet him1 and treated him with all the courtesy due to his position4 ,he dismounted and offered his salaams4 ,he was a fine but pathetic-looking figure--a tall1 spare man--but the weight of years1 and the strain of recent events1 were beginning to bow his shoulders4 ,his thick beard was quite grey1 but his eyes could still flash with passion and anger1 though1 at present1 they were dulled with grief and humiliation4 ,i immediately offered him my condolences on the death of his son1 and told him ,i had heard that he believed that ,i personally was responsible for his death4 ,i assured him that this was not so1 and that ,i greatly regretted that so valiant a father should suffer the loss of a valiant son4 ,i then invited him to sit down on a small rise of ground where a few sparse bushes offered some shade from the sun1 and as we had no seats we sat down on the ground round him4 ,i pointed out to ,jiand his folly in having proved false to the traditional friendship which had existed between him1 his tribes and the ,british ,raj4 ,i also told him that ,i knew perfectly well he had been misled by ,german lies as to the breaking of ,british power1 coupled with advice to harry the ,british lines of communication1 and to help himself to all supplies upon which he could lay his hands before the ,german forces advanced into ,india1 for1 when they did1 nothing much would be left to take4 ,but1 ,i asked him1 how could a man of his intelligence have ever allowed himself to be gulled in such a manner8 ,had he thought1 he must have known that ,british might was far too firmly established to be overthrown by anything so despicable as the ,german race1 and he must have known too that1 in deserting his old friends the ,british1 and in fighting against them1 he was only courting disaster4 ,i further asked him if he had ever1 with his own eyes1 seen one of the ,german airships which they had been boasting were flying everywhere1 destroying enemy's lands1 towns and herds4 ,jiand admitted that he had not4 ,illustration3 ,,jiand',s ,,men ,,coming ,,in ,,to ,,parley ,i asked him how it came about that1 if he had really believed so much in the strength and power of the ,germans1 not one of them was to be found in the district to come to his help in his present difficulties8 ,either they were cowards and had run away1 or they had lied to him and there had never been any ,german forces sweeping on victoriously to wipe out the ,british ,raj4 ,jiand admitted the force of all my arguments1 and replied that he1 and all the ,sarhadis1 had been grossly deceived1 but pleaded that he himself had done his best to restrain his men from interfering with the ,british lines of communication1 warning them that it was neither safe nor wise4 ,however1 he could not seriously have expected that ,i would swallow this excuse1 as he was known to be held in such awe by his followers that not one of them would have dared to dispute his authority4 ,i demanded the return of all government camels and stores and of my kit1 captured between ,nushki and ,robat1 and he assured me that everything should be sent back in full4 ,while we were talking ,i noticed his eyes kept wandering round1 and1 at last1 he could restrain his curiosity no longer1 and asked me point blank where the vast mass of troops was which had conquered his own4 ,i replied1 ,it was not necessary to bring all my men to ,kamalabad4 ,i only came here with my advance guard to make you my prisoner4 ,we have yet to capture ,khwash4 ,the rest was left to his imagination4 ,his parole was then demanded1 which he promptly gave1 and solemnly swore1 on the ,koran1 that neither he nor any of his tribe1 would raise a hand again against the ,british ,raj4 ,neither he nor the handful of men he had brought with him1 were disarmed4 ,we had to continue our game of bluff and had to show that we were not in the least afraid of him4 ,after ,i had dismissed him1 telling him he would accompany me wherever ,i went under open arrest1 ,landon1 the ,sarhad-dar1 ,idu and myself took counsel together as to the best way to obtain the surrender of ,khwash with its fort1 the main stronghold of the ,yarmahommedzais4 ,we decided to send a couple of ,landon's scouts direct to ,khwash--about nineteen miles distant--with a message to ,mahommed-,hassan1 telling him that ,jiand was a prisoner in my hands1 and that he himself admitted a loss of seven hundred men killed in open fight with my forces1 but that the figure was an under-estimate4 ,shah ,sawar was also a prisoner in my hands4 ,i called on him1 therefore1 to surrender the fort of ,khwash to me before twelve1 noon1 on the following day1 or warned him ,i should blow the whole place to the skies4 ,nor should ,i hold myself responsible for the future action of my troops4 ,idu's eyes twinkled4 ,just suppose1 ,general ,sahib1 that ,mahommed-,hassan refuses2 may ,i ask how you propose to blow ,khwash to the skies--or anywhere8 ,i replied with becoming dignity that ,i should of course blow it to the skies with my artillery4 ,idu roared with laughter4 ,he said he had seen my pop-guns firing and he was afraid that1 unless our bluff could do the trick1 ,i should be unpleasantly surprised at the strength of the walls of ,khwash4 ,the next morning our entire force of two mountain guns1 two machine guns1 seventeen cavalrymen1 nine trained and sixty-five untrained infantry and a handful of ,chagai ,levies1 moved forward to the assault of the ,raiders' stronghold4 ,by eleven o'clock1 and while we were still about three miles distant1 we came into full view of the fort4 ,even from that distance ,i could see that ,idu's boast as to its strength was no idle one1 and that if ,mahommed-,hassan elected to put up a fight we could not possibly expect to be able to take it by assault4 ,our anxieties were now further increased by rumours that ,halil ,khan1 with all his ,gamshadzais1 was on the way to reinforce ,jiand1 of whose personal surrender he had not yet heard4 ,our objective1 ,khwash1 lay on a plateau about six miles wide1 bordered on either side by two ranges of hills4 ,these hills have an altitude of some six thousand feet and run parallel to each other on the ,north-,east and ,south-,west sides of the fort4 ,the fort itself is somewhere about four thousand five hundred feet above sea-level4 ,this plateau was at one time well populated1 well wooded and cultivated with some seventy-three karezes running along it1 all tapping the great underground stream which flows from the ,southern slopes of the ,koh-i-taftan4 ,we were hot and played out after our sixteen-mile march1 so halted to rest1 and to speculate as to whether ,mahommed-,hassan would surrender on1 or before1 the time-limit given him4 ,we had not long to wait1 however1 for hardly had we halted when we saw a messenger1 on foot and carrying a white flag1 coming towards us4 ,he salaamed as he reached us and said he bore a message from ,mahommed-,hassan1 imploring me not to blow ,khwash into the skies1 as he had heard all about the defeat of the ,yarmahommedzais under ,jiand1 and that1 under the circumstances1 he recognised the folly of attempting to oppose my advance4 ,moreover1 he was now on his way to surrender himself and the fort4 ,so bluff still held the day6 ,and sure enough1 a few minutes later1 ,mahommed-,hassan1 a miserable-looking creature1 arrived and tendered his formal surrender4 ,illustration3 ,,khwash ,,fort4 ,as we marched forward in style to enter the fort the ,yarmahommedzai garrison marched out and joined the local population of ,khwashis1 who have lived in and around the fort for many generations4 ,these latter are peaceful cultivators of the soil1 and are allowed to exist because they are useful servants to ,jiand and his fighting men4 ,they and their womenfolk are graciously allowed to keep a certain proportion of the crops they grow1 the bulk of which goes to ,jiand4 ,these ,khwashis are a much lower type of humanity than the ,raiders1 and only ask to be allowed to exist in peace4 ,the fort1 on closer inspection1 proved to be some seventy yards square1 with two gates1 one to the ,south-,east and one to the ,north-,west4 ,the outer walls rise to about thirty feet with towers at the four corners1 three of which are about thirty-five feet high1 while the fourth is probably fully fifty feet4 ,this latter tower was the one occupied by the garrison4 ,of the seventy-three fine karezes originally existing in and around the fort we could only find two4 ,but one of these was a particularly good one whose waters came to the surface and flowed outside the ,south-,east walls in an extraordinarily clear and limpid stream1 in refreshing contrast to so many of the tepid1 brackish streams found throughout the ,sarhad4 ,but the one feature of the neighbourhood which struck me most forcibly was the quantity of beetles to be found everywhere4 ,never in my life have ,i seen so many4 ,they were of the variety commonly known as dung-beetles4 ,this kind is larger than the ordinary house beetle1 round and flat1 jet black1 and can fly1 which adds to its unpleasantness4 ,directly occasion offers it flies from every direction and is soon rapidly and effectively at work4 ,as a scavenger1 unpleasant as it is1 it undoubtedly represents a provision of nature to keep the place--where sanitation is unknown--clean and healthy4 ,a few trees are scattered round ,khwash1 and a welcome sight these were after unending vistas of sandy waste and bare hillside4 ,the country in the close vicinity of ,khwash was well cultivated1 whilst ,i noted with satisfaction that some of the hill slopes were covered with a tall grass4 ,this would prove invaluable as fodder for the horses4 ,that same day another piece of good news reached us1 to the effect that ,halil ,khan1 the great leader of the ,gamshadzais1 had just heard of the surrender of ,jiand1 also the full details of his great defeat1 and loss of seven hundred men4 ,but beyond this the news ran that he was coming himself to surrender1 and to tell me that he had seen the folly of his past actions4 ,upon receipt of this news ,landon and ,i looked at each other and then roared with laughter4 ,we began to realise that the ,battle of ,koh-i-taftan had indeed been a decisive victory6 ,that same evening ,halil ,khan1 and about fifty of his chosen men1 arrived1 and1 formally salaaming1 surrendered themselves4 ,i was immensely impressed by the appearance of this ,raider ,chief4 ,he was not very tall1 but was magnificently proportioned and developed1 with an intelligent1 handsome head1 and a peculiarly alert look4 ,he certainly looked what he was well known to be1 namely1 one of the best fighting leaders in the ,sarhad4 ,he and all his men were armed with ,mauser rifles and an abundance of ammunition4 ,halil ,khan seemed wedded to his1 and when he was informed that the ,general ,sahib was going to extend to him the same terms as to ,jiand and allow him to keep his rifle1 his joy was very apparent4 ,these ,german rifles had either been provided by the ,germans1 and sent direct across ,persia1 or were the outcome of the gun-running in the ,persian ,gulf prior to the ,war4 ,the price of a ,mauser in the ,sarhad1 at that time1 was about one thousand one hundred rupees1 though ,i was glad to learn that the ,british ,lee-,enfield was valued at one thousand two hundred rupees4 ,the real cost of manufacturing these rifles is1 ,i believe1 from six to ten pounds or sixty to one hundred rupees1 so that it will be seen what sort of a price the ,raiders are prepared to pay for their arms4 ,halil ,khan was particularly anxious to learn how we had managed to defeat ,jiand1 and was of course curious to know where the vast ,british forces were4 ,but he gathered no more information than ,jiand had done4 ,my own private opinion is that ,halil ,khan was disgusted with ,jiand for surrendering1 and that he himself would have dearly loved a fight1 for--as ,i was afterwards to learn to my cost--he was not only a magnificent fighter1 but did not know the meaning of fear4 ,the only way in which ,i can account for his own surrender--for only a day or so previously he had been fully prepared to fight us--is that he had just become aware of the fact that ,jiand was a prisoner in our hands4 ,he was afraid1 therefore1 that if he attacked us the proud old ,chief might suffer1 and that1 on the whole1 it would be wiser to appear submissive--for the moment4 ,but ,idu warned me at the time1 and again and again in the immediate future1 ,jiand and ,halil ,khan will never rest until they have fought you again4 ,unless you can get a much larger force1 at the very first opportunity1 and almost certainly when they learn that you have at present practically no troops1 they will turn and attack you4 ,place no reliance on their word or their oath1 even though it be given on the ,koran4 ,that same evening ,i learnt of a great raid that had recently been made into ,persia by a section of the ,yarmahommedzais1 under a leader called ,izzat4 ,as an outcome of this raid hundreds of ,persian ladies and children had been dragged from their homes and brought by ,izzat into the ,sarhad1 there to be bartered as slaves4 ,their sufferings1 both from the indignity and shame of their present state1 and the hardships they must inevitably have undergone amongst their nomad captors1 after the comparative luxury of their own homes1 can well be imagined4 ,the ,sarhad-dar1 a well-educated and sensitive man1 as well as a brave fighter1 was so overcome by the picture drawn of the sufferings of these wretched women and children that he burst into tears1 and sobbing like a child1 pleaded with me to ignore everything else and to at once set about returning these ,persians to their homes4 ,strongly as my own wishes coincided with his1 ,i knew such a course to be impossible4 ,i had still more important things to do4 ,moreover1 our own situation might become desperate at any moment4 ,although ,jiand and ,halil ,khan1 with a handful of their followers1 were prisoners in my hands1 their tribes were at large1 and at the first suspicion of the trick that had been played on them would be on us like a swarm of bees4 ,it must be remembered too1 that ,juma ,khan of the ,ismailzais was still at liberty1 in a position to learn that we really had no troops1 and might bring his men against us at any moment4 ,it was obvious1 therefore1 that ,i had to deal with him before ,i dared attempt the rescue of any ,persian women1 though the thought of them and their plight1 and the determination to endeavour to rescue and return them to their homes at the first possible moment never left me4 ,the following day ,i decided to hold a ,durbar1 so gave orders that all the ,sarhadi ,chiefs were to be present1 and that they could bring as many of their followers as they chose4 ,the ,durbar was held on the banks of the stream1 just outside the fort1 and under the shade of one of the trees4 ,we all sat on the ground1 and ,i opened the ,durbar as ,i thought a commissioner might do in ,india1 though1 truth to tell1 ,i knew very little indeed about ,durbars6 ,i explained to the ,sarhadi ,chiefs1 ,jiand1 ,halil ,khan1 ,shah ,sawar1 and ,mahommed-,hassan1 that the ,sirkar 7literally1 ruling power7 was not represented in force by what they saw at ,khwash4 ,they might be interested to know1 however1 that some four millions of the very finest troops in the world were then fighting under the ,british flag in various theatres of war all over the world1 and that1 as surely as night follows day1 ,germany would be defeated1 because right and might were on our side4 ,i explained to them collectively1 as ,i had explained to ,jiand individually1 that they had been misled by ,german lies and propaganda into believing that ,germany was winning1 and also that the ,germans had turned ,mussulmans4 ,i told them that it was quite the other way about1 for1 in point of fact1 their own fellow-,mahommedans1 the ,turks1 had really become ,germans1 taking their orders from their new masters1 and had taken to drinking wine and to doing other acts absolutely contrary to the teachings of the ,koran4 ,i told them that ,christians never became ,mahommedans1 though it was easy for them to say so to secure their own ends4 ,i also told them that ,i would give them a lakh of rupees for every ,german they could produce who had really become a follower of the ,prophet4 ,i advised them that on such matters they should look for decision to the ,sherif of ,mecca as their spiritual head1 and that he was entirely on the ,british side4 ,they were then recommended no longer to make fools of themselves1 for ,i had originally come to the ,sarhad as their friend1 and that1 though they had fought against me1 ,i was willing to let bygones be bygones and to be friends with them in the future4 ,i also pointed out that all their interest lay in retaining the friendship of the ,sirkar1 for they would surely lose their country for ever if they persisted in the mad course of opposing us4 ,i asked them why their new friends had not helped them to oppose me1 with advice if with nothing else8 ,and1 if these friends had really been sweeping victoriously on to overcome the ,british ,raj1 why they were not there with them8 ,jiand1 ,halil ,khan1 ,shah ,sawar and ,mahommed-,hassan all expressed their keen regret at what had occurred1 promised that they would return to their old allegiance1 and that1 instead of fighting me any more1 they would help me to restore order in the ,sarhad4 ,they also promised to bring ,juma ,khan and his ,ismailzais to book4 ,i then explained my plans for the immediate future4 ,i told them of my intention to retain ,khwash as a pledge for their good behaviour1 and until such time as a benign ,indian ,government might see fit to return it to them4 ,but ,i promised that ,i would send in a faithful report of their repentance for their past misdeeds1 and of their promise to assist us in the future1 and told them they might rest assured that the ,government would do all that was right and fair4 ,the following day we marched out once more with the object of attacking ,juma ,khan at ,galugan1 leaving the head of the ,reki clan 7,i think his name was ,mirza ,khan7 in command of ,khwash1 with a few of his own tribe1 and five of my nine infantrymen who could handle a rifle4 ,not1 it will be considered1 a very formidable garrison to leave in charge1 but it was impossible to spare any more men4 ,we marched in the following order3 ,shah ,sawar and his men were in front as advance guards1 ,halil ,khan and the ,gamshadzais on the left flank1 and ,jiand and his ,yarmahommedzais on the right flank4 ,our infantry went with the baggage1 and the guns and ammunition brought up the rear4 ,the cavalry and a few infantrymen formed my personal escort4 ,i hoped by this arrangement to keep the various ,sarhadi ,chiefs well apart so that they might be unable to compare notes4 ,my own small force was kept in the rear1 and well together4 ,i was asked by the ,raiders why ,i was making all these careful arrangements to protect my camels4 ,i replied that in war one had to be prepared to meet any emergency1 and that ,i was not at all satisfied with what ,i had heard concerning the conduct of the ,khan of ,bampur1 for there had been rumours that he might be foolish enough to try conclusions with me4 ,bampur is situated in ,persian ,baluchistan1 fully six marches away to the ,south of ,khwash1 and is overlooked by the ,koh-i-,bazman4 ,bampur1 it will be remembered1 was the old capital of ,baluchistan1 but to-day it is only a squalid collection of mud-built huts and deserted gardens1 clustered round a semi-ruined fort standing in an unhealthy1 malarial district4 ,it was held at this date by a ,baluchi ,chief1 apparently as cowardly as he was arrogant4 ,the fear ,i expressed of his intention was to lull any possible suspicion of the ,sarhadi ,chiefs--nominally my prisoners--as to the formation of my battle array2 but there remained a modicum of truth behind the reason given4 ,when we halted that night ,landon1 the ,sarhad-dar1 ,idu and myself1 as usual1 took counsel as to the next day's movements1 and finally decided to send two of ,landon's spies to ,bampur4 ,arrived there they were to tell the ,khan that they had run away from us to warn him1 because my mighty army1 now on the march1 might possibly take ,bampur in its stride4 ,in addition they were to tell him that1 whilst it was true that the ,general commanding had given out that he was only going to march along the borders of the ,bampur district in order to reach ,galugan1 where he intended to crush ,juma ,khan1 they fully believed this to be only a blind1 and that ,bampur was to be first destroyed4 ,khwash itself had recently been threatened1 and had only escaped destruction by surrender4 ,it was now left in charge of five hundred of the ,british ,general's best troops1 with ample supplies for a month4 ,it was only later on that ,i learned the success of this mission4 ,the two spies arrived on a certain night at about one a4m4 and did their part so well that1 by two a4m41 the terrified ,khan had mounted his camel1 and set forth for ,makran4 ,makran is an arid region lying along the shores of the ,persian ,gulf1 and stretching inland for a distance of about sixty miles4 ,it is filled with bare1 dry mountains1 and hills with curiously serrated edges4 ,from the more fertile parts large quantities of dates are grown and exported4 ,arrived at the headquarters of the ,british political officer1 ,colonel ,dew1 the ,khan flung himself on his mercy1 and implored him 7so ,i have been told7 not to allow ,general ,dyer to attack him1 though ,i have never seen ,colonel ,dew since to obtain an authentic account of the interview4 ,but this was another potential enemy cleared from our path1 at any rate for the moment1 and this was all that mattered to us4 ,on1 or about1 the #aeth of ,april we continued our march towards ,galugan1 and on the second day came in view of the ,koh-i-,bazman1 an extinct volcano4 ,this is an imposing mountain of between ten and eleven thousand feet1 covered with snow and rising1 a sheer1 solitary peak1 out of the plain4 ,at one point on the march ,idu asked me whether ,i would like to see a curious hole in the ground lying only a little way off our line of route4 ,we turned aside for a few hundred yards1 and1 on a plain as flat as a billiard-table1 with a surface coated with hardened clay--obviously1 at one time1 the bed of a lake--we came upon it4 ,the perfectly level1 smooth lips of the hole offered no suggestion that it had been excavated by human agency4 ,on the contrary1 it gave the appearance of having been punched in the ground by some tremendous force4 ,the hole was about one hundred and fifty feet long1 one hundred and twenty feet wide1 and about fifty feet deep1 with absolutely perpendicular sides4 ,idu asked whether ,i could suggest any explanation of this formation1 and1 after examination1 ,i admitted ,i had none to offer1 asking him in turn whether any tradition was attached to it4 ,he replied that the hole had once been only half its present size1 but twice as deep1 and that his grandfather remembered how and when the hole was made4 ,the old man had told him that1 one night when he was a youth1 something had exploded in the sky and fallen to the earth1 punching a hole one hundred feet deep in the plain4 ,owing to weather and climatic conditions1 the sides of this hole had gradually fallen in1 hence its present width and shallowness4 ,there can1 therefore1 be little doubt that an enormous meteorite fell here1 and that it lies buried at the bottom of this hole4 ,its locality is about seven hundred yards from a hill called ,gwarko1 and could easily be found by anyone interested in such phenomena4 ,this is not the only natural feature which would repay a visit from those interested in natural science1 for1 though ,i am no geologist or scientist myself1 ,i was greatly interested in the numerous gorges in the vicinity of ,kacha1 a post in the hills near ,robat1 where1 at certain seasons of the year1 violent spates occur1 and the rushing water has so burnished the sides of the rocks that they glisten in the sun like polished1 variegated marble4 ,the sections so made show a close mass of fossils1 which1 apparently1 were once oysters1 centipedes1 crabs1 etc4 ,,chapter ,,vi ,a ,,full ,,bag ,,of ,,prisoners ,the march to ,kacha--,the food supply--,flowers in the ,wilderness--,galugan--,repeated strategy--,juma ,khan comes in--,the bag is full--,the throne of the dancing-maidens--,landon declines--,idu's doubts--,suspicions aroused--,halil ,khan closes up--,kacha1 oaths1 and thumb-marks--,the ,chiefs depart--,bad news4 ,the march from ,khwash to ,kacha was over constantly ascending ground1 and the higher the altitude reached the more abundant did the vegetation become4 ,on the third day ,i noticed that a great many of the ,raiders were carrying bunches of green stuff under their arms1 plucked along the line of march1 and ,i asked ,idu what they were going to do with it4 ,he replied that they would eat it raw1 and supplemented this information with the further news that1 beyond a few dried dates1 the surrendered ,raiders had brought hardly any rations with them4 ,consequently1 and very shortly1 ,i should be called upon to feed them4 ,this was an alarming prospect4 ,we had left a generous supply of food behind for the garrison of ,khwash1 thus reducing our own rations to a bare sufficiency for the considerable distance to be covered4 ,i instructed ,idu to ward off the evil day as long as possible1 but told him that1 in the last extremity1 our food supplies would1 of course1 be fairly and evenly shared with the ,sarhadis4 ,at this stage in the march we reached a height of some seven thousand feet1 and ,i was struck with the beauty of the scene4 ,around us the slopes were covered with a profusion of flowers of every hue1 forming1 so it seemed1 a vast1 variegated carpet4 ,although ,i know nothing whatever of flowers from a botanical point of view the beauty of many of them struck me so much that1 later in the year1 ,i collected some of the seeds and preserved them carefully with the idea of home cultivation4 ,these seeds remained with me in all my wanderings1 but1 unfortunately1 on my journey home the pocket-book containing them was lost4 ,one plant in particular1 the aseftida 7locally known as hing71 is very striking1 and most effective in the distance4 ,the lower leaves are very big1 and the plant throws up a tall1 yellow shoot1 two or three feet high1 topped by a cluster of the most brilliant flowers of the same colour4 ,this plant is much valued by the ,baluchis1 and ,i am told that large quantities are exported from this district to ,india4 ,illustration3 ,,surrendered ,,raiders3 ,,halil 7left71 ,,jiand 7centre71 ,,shah ,,sawar 7right74 ,we were lucky in finding cool camping places on the third and fourth nights of the march4 ,on the fifth we commenced our last march on the plain to ,galugan1 the territory belonging to the ,ismailzais under their leader1 ,juma ,khan4 ,galugan is like ,kamalabad1 a district only populated during certain seasons of the year1 when the ,ismailzais make a regular encampment there1 live in jugis1 and settle down for a time to the cultivation of their crops4 ,the place is well watered1 with a very fertile soil capable of bearing magnificent crops of wheat and barley4 ,as we approached the camping ground of ,galugan our scouts came back to inform us that ,juma ,khan had deserted ,galugan1 and had gone1 with all his tribe1 into the high hills surrounding the place4 ,he had heard of the defeat of ,jiand at ,koh-i-taftan1 of his subsequent surrender1 and of the capture of ,khwash4 ,he had also seen our forces approaching1 and had no hope of success if he had remained to offer battle4 ,as a matter of fact we really did present quite an imposing appearance by this time4 ,our numbers had been augmented by small groups of ,jiand's and ,halil ,khan's men who had joined us at intervals all along the route4 ,we accordingly marched1 without any opposition1 into ,galugan1 and found it1 as reported1 absolutely deserted1 with the exception of one old woman who had utterly refused to desert her crops1 and was eventually discovered hiding in a field4 ,as the threat of destruction to his crops had been so successful with ,jiand we determined to try the same threat on ,juma ,khan4 ,accordingly1 messengers were sent summoning him to surrender at once1 with all his force1 under a similar penalty4 ,i told the messengers to impress upon him the fact that he and his tribe were now quite isolated1 that the ,gamshadzais and ,yarmahommedzais had surrendered1 but that they1 and their leaders1 had been well and generously treated1 their lives and crops spared1 and that the same generous treatment would be accorded to him if he delivered himself up without delay4 ,very shortly he sent back a message to say that he realised he was in a hopeless position1 and was quite prepared to surrender unconditionally4 ,he also offered to restore all the plunder he had taken in the direction of ,nasaratabad-sippi4 ,but he asked for a definite guarantee that his life would be spared4 ,i sent back word that he need have no fear on that score4 ,my mission was to make him see the error of his ways and to re-establish good relations between his tribe and the ,british2 also1 that he would be treated exactly as ,i had treated ,jiand and ,halil ,khan4 ,that same evening he came into camp1 with some thirty of his followers as a body-guard1 and formally surrendered4 ,he was a somewhat different type from both ,jiand and ,halil ,khan4 ,juma ,khan was of medium height1 and slightly built4 ,he had a very pleasing1 well-cut1 high-bred face1 always full of smiles and laughter1 as though life were one huge joke4 ,idu1 who1 as ,i have already said1 knew all about the ,sarhadi ,chiefs and their characteristic points1 said to me after ,i had interviewed ,juma ,khan1 ,if ,juma ,khan gives you his oath on the ,koran he will keep it4 ,he is well known throughout the ,sarhad as a man who abides by his word4 ,any promise1 therefore1 that he makes to you he will faithfully keep4 ,i was especially glad that ,juma ,khan had come into line1 and for a very good reason4 ,the easiest route for ,german emissaries into ,afghanistan lay through his territory4 ,on all routes across ,persia water-supply is one of the most vital considerations1 the consequence being that many an otherwise convenient road had had to be abandoned owing to lack of water4 ,now the stream which runs from ,galugan1 piercing the hills and running into the ,persian district of ,narmashir1 offers an excellent supply1 so making this route an easy one for ,german agents--if not opposed by ,juma ,khan4 ,but with ,juma ,khan on our side it would be practically impossible for such to get through the ,sarhad4 ,it was1 therefore1 my policy to treat him with special consideration4 ,to be plain1 ,i wished him1 though an unwilling captive1 to be a real convert to our interests4 ,all the ,sarhadi ,chiefs were now prisoners1 but the problem arose as to the best and safest method of transporting them1 and all their followers1 back to ,kacha1 fully eighty miles distant4 ,our own food supplies were already running very short1 yet ,i was obliged to promise the ,raiders a fair and equal share of these4 ,we were1 therefore1 immediately obliged to go on half rations4 ,to add to our troubles the weather was beginning to get very hot on these plains1 and ,i well knew that1 at any rate on some days--owing to water difficulties--it would be necessary to make long marches4 ,the first march out of ,galugan proved to be heavy uphill work1 our route lying up a steady1 steep incline4 ,but at night we found a suitable camping ground by the side of a stream4 ,here again the ground was covered by a mass of beautiful flowers4 ,the following day we descended to the ,duzd-ab plain1 and had only crossed some five miles of it when a hill of such extraordinary appearance came into view that ,landon and ,i simultaneously exclaimed4 ,this looked for all the world like a huge mushroom with flattened dome and very thick stem--obviously a hill whose upper part was of a harder formation than the lower1 thus resisting with better success the attacks of time and weather4 ,idu cantered up on his pony and pointed to the hill with pride4 ,that1 ,sahib1 he said1 is called the ,takht-i-,jinikan 7throne of the dancing maidens74 ,why was it given that name8 ,i asked4 ,do maidens live there alone8 ,idu grinned4 ,listen1 ,sahib1 and ,i will tell you the story of the ,takht-i-,jinikan4 ,on beautiful moonlight nights immortal maidens are supposed to dance on the flat top of this hill4 ,if a young man is really very good he may climb to the top of the hill alone1 while they are dancing1 in the hope of obtaining a bride4 ,but he must be very good to be sufficiently worthy to win the love of one of these immortal maidens4 ,if he succeeds she becomes mortal1 and they are married4 ,i asked ,idu if he had met anyone who had obtained an immortal bride4 ,idu smiled4 ,i fear there is no young man in the ,sarhad good enough to be worthy of the honour6 ,i persuaded ,landon1 who was unmarried1 to climb the hill with me--but not by moonlight6 ,on our return ,idu asked ,major ,landon if he had seen the ,jinikan4 ,landon replied regretfully that he had not1 but was sure it was because he had not been able to ascend the hill by moonlight--certainly not because he was not good enough4 ,he1 however1 had seen some very large footprints1 which he sincerely trusted1 for the sake of the beauty of the legend1 did not belong to these immortal damsels6 ,but what pleased me more than the romantic hill was the discovery of a stream only a short distance away4 ,this afforded not only an unexpectedly good supply of water1 but1 from a quantity of dry bushes along its banks1 an abundance of fire wood for cooking4 ,on each day of the march we held counsel with the ,sarhadis and soon became on friendly terms with them4 ,we found them a very interesting crowd1 full of adventure and the joy of life4 ,they informed me that1 as they had now thrown in their lot with me1 they were quite ready to take part in any raid with me1 if only ,i would organise one4 ,nor did the objective matter4 ,persia1 ,afghanistan1 or1 in fact1 anywhere where there might be excitement and adventurous doings4 ,so friendly1 indeed1 were we all that ,i began to think my work1 and the whole object for which ,i had been sent to the ,sarhad1 accomplished4 ,but ,idu was never optimistic on the subject4 ,he invariably shook his head1 and warned me1 in and out of season1 against ,halil ,khan and ,jiand4 ,he1 at last1 so infected me with his own anxiety1 that ,i began to wonder whether the two ,chiefs might not take it into their heads to wipe out our little force one night4 ,they could have done this with the utmost ease4 ,this change of mind induced me at last to make my camp dispositions with redoubled care4 ,the ,raiders were given to understand that they must take part in organising the camp against some unknown foe who might make them1 as well as myself1 an object of attack4 ,my suspicions were further aroused by the minute way in which they questioned me as to the individuality of that foe1 and the direction from which it would be possible for him to come4 ,i told them that habit in soldiers becomes second nature2 that it was a soldier's habit to take the utmost precaution in self-defence1 and that neglected precaution might always bring possible disaster4 ,but ,i could see that they accepted the explanation with doubt1 and obviously disbelieved in my mythical foe4 ,the third day's march across the ,duzd-ab valley was a very trying one4 ,we had to make a double march1 for our food supplies were almost exhausted1 and it was obviously imperative to reach ,kacha as soon as possible4 ,it must be remembered1 too1 that we had been on half rations since leaving ,galugan1 and already there had been much grousing amongst the whole force4 ,that night we encamped at the base of a hill which ,jiand proudly announced as ,koh-i-,jiandsiah1 or the ,hill of ,black ,jiand4 ,i asked him who ,black ,jiand might be1 and he replied that his father's name was ,jiand1 though he was not black1 and that the hill had been named after him4 ,the old fellow was obviously proud of the honour which had been conferred on his father4 ,here ,landon and ,i spent an anxious night1 for both ,idu and the ,sarhad-dar were very nervous and depressed4 ,the latter said that a rumour had got about amongst the ,sarhadis that all my promises and protestations to them were false1 and that ,i was really leading them into a trap at ,kacha1 where they were all to be killed4 ,consequently1 the idea had been discussed as to whether it might not be safer1 and wiser1 to attack our small force1 overwhelm us during the night1 and escape before daybreak4 ,as may be imagined1 the prospect was scarcely a pleasant one1 but we could take no stricter precautions than had already been done1 and our sole remaining action now was to show an absolutely untroubled and confident front to men who1 though nominally our prisoners1 held us in the hollow of their hands4 ,in other words to trust to luck4 ,fortunately for us the ,raiders1 who still could not make head or tail of the real situation1 determined on a pacific course1 and the night passed without incident4 ,so luck stood with us1 and on the following morning we were early astir for the last march south of ,kacha4 ,it was evident that the situation had now become one of the touch and go order1 so ,i determined to emphasise my supposed confidence in the ,raiders1 by this means restoring theirs1 and convincing them that there was no trap4 ,i1 therefore1 gave orders that none of them were to march in advance1 but in the rear1 as ,i wished to have a clear view of my covering troops4 ,as we drew in towards ,kacha ,i noticed that ,halil ,khan and his band gathered as close in behind me as possible1 and ,i learned afterwards that he had said1 ,if we are to be led into a trap ,i will see to it that the ,general ,sahib does not escape me4 ,illustration3 ,,camel ,,corps ,,sawars ,,at ,,the ,,termination ,,of ,,operations4 ,i had already given orders that1 the instant we entered ,kacha1 the advance guard of infantry1 also the cavalry and guns1 were to march straight off to their respective barracks4 ,this order ,i learned afterwards greatly relieved the anxiety of the ,sarhadis1 who had actually talked themselves into an honest belief of the existence of a trap4 ,they themselves encamped in the vicinity of the ,british ,political ,officer's house4 ,he himself was absent at that date4 ,ample food supplies were dealt out to them4 ,now that our lines of communication were clear of the ,raiders food was coming through again from ,india4 ,for the moment all need for anxiety seemed at an end4 ,on the #ast of ,may ,i summoned a ,durbar1 to be held1 on the following day1 close to the ,political ,officer's house4 ,idu was not present1 for he had asked for leave to go to ,robat on important personal business4 ,i suspected this important business was a visit to one of his numerous wives1 though the rascal always disclaimed the suggestion that his absences ever had anything to do with a woman4 ,the ,durbar was an impressive affair4 ,several bags of money were brought from the ,government ,treasury by the ,sarhad-dar and placed at my feet4 ,these were to be given to the ,chiefs as rewards for future good conduct4 ,after delivering an address--more or less a repetition of what ,i had said at ,khwash as to the folly of deserting the ,british for the ,germans--,i called on the ,chiefs to sign an agreement whereby they handed their country over to the ,sirkar1 and promised in future to be loyal to the ,indian ,government4 ,further than this1 and under this agreement1 they were to give timely warning of the approach of ,german agents from any direction4 ,as most of the ,raiders could not write1 their thumb-marks were duly impressed on an imposing looking document produced by the ,sarhad-dar1 and the ,chiefs swore on the ,koran to abide by the agreement4 ,they were then handed the money rewards promised them1 ,jiand receiving the largest amount--two thousand rupees4 ,i then announced to them that they were all free to return to their homes1 and that if ever any of them needed a friend1 or would like me to adjudicate between them on any local quarrel1 they were at liberty to call upon me for the purpose4 ,they professed themselves as very grateful for all that had been given them2 admitted they had been treated generously1 and promised1 on oath1 that there should be no more trouble in the ,sarhad1 nor should any ,german or ,german agent be permitted to pass through their territories4 ,thus1 when they left for their homes1 on the morning of ,may #crd1 all parties were1 apparently1 on excellent terms4 ,i wrote a despatch to headquarters at ,simla1 giving a short account of the expedition and its results1 at the same time bringing forward the names of various officers1 and other ranks1 for good work done4 ,i also mentioned the fact that ,i did not know what to do in regard to the traffic in slaves4 ,that evening ,idu returned4 ,he came straight to my room and told me ,i had acted unwisely in disregarding his repeated warnings as to the unreliability of ,jiand and ,halil ,khan4 ,he further added that some of his own chosen men1 who had been scouting around and picking up all possible information1 had met him1 on his return to ,kacha1 and had given him the following authentic and disquieting news4 ,it was to the effect that1 hardly had ,jiand got out of ,kacha1 that morning1 with promises of devotion and loyalty still hot upon his lips1 than he had halted and called a meeting of the ,raider ,chiefs1 urging them to repudiate their oaths1 to collect all their fighting men as quickly as possible1 attack and take ,khwash1 and then to turn their attention to my force1 which he now openly said he knew to be a contemptibly small one4 ,this was bad news indeed4 ,we naturally knew that ,khwash could be captured in a few minutes4 ,there were only five men there4 ,we were also quite conscious of the fact that we could be wiped out in less than the same time if attacked in any force4 ,but the bad was leavened by the good1 for the same report told us that ,juma ,khan had resolutely and absolutely refused to fall in with ,jiand's plans4 ,he was also reported to have said that the ,general ,sahib had kept every promise made to them1 had spared their lives and crops when he could have destroyed them1 had treated them1 from the commencement of hostilities1 as honourable foes1 and later as friends1 and had finally given them considerable sums of money4 ,he had never broken his word1 and he did not intend to begin doing so now4 ,therefore1 he was to be counted out of any plans of treachery which ,jiand might be meditating4 ,upon which expression of opinion he had ridden off to his own country with his following4 ,but1 even with ,juma ,khan eliminated1 the situation was serious enough1 for ,i saw no chance of obtaining reinforcements from any quarter in time to prevent a disaster4 ,however1 it was no use crying over spilt milk4 ,things must be faced as they were4 ,after all1 as ,i pointed out to ,idu1 ,jiand could not do the impossible4 ,he and ,halil ,khan could not collect their scattered men in a moment4 ,the one thing left for us to do was to set off on the morrow1 march back to ,khwash1 endeavour to reach it before ,jiand1 and organise our defence against his coming4 ,i have often since been blamed for an apparent foolhardiness in trusting the ,raiders sufficiently to let them go4 ,but it must be remembered that ,i had not come out to fight the ,raiders--unless events made it absolutely necessary to do so--but1 rather1 to make friends with them and to keep the ,germans1 or their agents1 from coming through their country4 ,moreover1 the force at my disposal was very small indeed1 and quite insufficient to keep these ,raiders in check when once the bluff was called4 ,in other words1 ,i should soon lose the game if ,i persisted in treating them as enemies4 ,it must be understood1 too1 that the ,sarhad was only the ,southern portion of my command1 and that rumours were constantly coming in that ,germans1 who had failed to get through into ,afghanistan via the ,south1 were not only moving ,north towards ,birjand1 but were trying to cross the border in that direction4 ,i knew1 also1 that it would soon be necessary to move ,north in order to induce the ,russians to keep a more careful guard than they had been doing in the district ,north of ,birjand1 a district within their sphere of influence in ,persia4 ,nor must it be supposed that ,i had not quite realised1 before ,i let the ,raiders go1 that ,i had not obtained all the safeguards ,i could have wished4 ,but ,i did not then1 nor do ,i now1 see that ,i had any other alternative4 ,in any case ,i had gained one very definite advantage4 ,i had won over ,juma ,khan to our side2 and it was through his territory that the ,germans would first have to pass in order to get through the ,sarhad4 ,but1 though ,juma ,khan had already given a practical example of his determination to be loyal to his oath1 ,i recognised that he would be bolstered up in his loyalty if he felt there was apparent some show of strength on our side4 ,the loss of ,khwash to ,jiand would1 therefore1 be a terrible confession of weakness4 ,landon and the ,sarhad-dar fully concurred with me that the one and only wise plan to follow would be to march at daybreak with all the forces we could command1 and endeavour1 by a series of forced marches1 to reach and enter ,khwash before ,jiand could take it4 ,,chapter ,,vii ,,the ,,race ,,for ,,khwash ,plans and routes--,car versus legs--,an equestrian interlude--,the trap in the gorge--,more digging--,rendezvous--,mrs ,idu and gastronomy--,a reinforcement--,a message to ,landon--,izzat's men--,idu's romance--,a ,british ,bulldog--,the car abandoned4 ,time was obviously the chief factor to be reckoned with for any hope of ultimate success2 ,i wondered1 therefore1 whether the car might not be utilised in this dash back to ,khwash4 ,considering the nature of the ground over which we had marched1 it seemed rather a mad idea1 but ,idu pounced on it4 ,the very thing1 ,sahib1 he said excitedly4 ,you remember how astonished even ,i was when ,i first saw it8 ,how much more will it impress ,jiand's ignorant men6 ,they will think it a new sort of devil1 and it will be more useful than a dozen guns6 ,i believe ,idu is right1 ,landon said4 ,why don't you go in the car1 whilst ,i take charge of the army8 ,after further details had been discussed1 we decided to adopt this plan4 ,the car was still at ,robat1 about twenty-four miles distant1 with ,allan in charge4 ,i1 therefore1 sent a telegram1 and also a duplicate message by a sawar on a mari camel1 telling ,allan to provision the car1 bring all the spare tubes and tyres he possessed1 and start early the following morning on the track to ,saindak1 where1 at a spot to which the sawar would guide him1 about nine miles out of ,kacha1 ,idu and ,i would meet him on horseback4 ,landon1 who would be able to use a far more direct route to ,khwash than the car could take1 was to start with the army--the same old army of seventeen cavalrymen1 four trained infantrymen 7it will be remembered five had been left in ,khwash71 sixty-five untrained men1 with two mountain guns1 two machine-guns1 and six hundred camels4 ,he was to endeavour to reach the ,raiders' stronghold in seven marches4 ,six hundred camels for so small a force would seem out of all proportion4 ,but it must be remembered that transport for provisions1 and everything else we should need for at least a full month1 was required2 that we could not depend on keeping open any sort of lines of communication2 and that whenever a ,durbar or meeting was held1 all those attending it expected to be fed1 and well fed4 ,our very existence depended on an ample supply of food4 ,further1 the presence of so many camels helped to uphold the game of bluff it was still necessary to play1 and a distant view of these six hundred camels gave an appearance of numbers out of all proportion to our real fighting strength4 ,landon's route would take him by a comparatively short cut1 though1 even by this--over the western slopes of the ,koh-i-taftan--he could not hope to accomplish the march in less than seven days4 ,very early in the morning ,idu and ,i rode off on a couple of small ponies provided by the former1 and he assured me that it was only a very special breed of pony that could hope to cope with the difficulties of the nine hilly miles lying between us and the meeting-place arranged with ,allan and the car4 ,idu was fully justified in his criticism of the track we had to follow1 for it grew steeper and narrower as we proceeded1 until1 at last1 we were negotiating a mere cleft in the hill1 with our elbows almost touching the rocky sides4 ,suddenly1 my pony1 who had probably been deciding that he had had enough of it1 stopped dead1 quivered all over and--sat down6 ,idu1 who was immediately in front1 turned round to see what had happened1 and his pony promptly rolled backwards on the top of us4 ,i got clear as well as ,i could for laughing1 helped ,idu--who was very badly shaken--to extricate himself from the ponies1 and then1 between us1 got the ponies out of the crevasse into which they had managed to jam themselves4 ,this took some time1 and when we got them up we found the poor beasts so frightened that we had to walk them the greater part of the way4 ,at eleven o'clock1 perspiring from every pore1 we reached the rendezvous arranged1 and to our great relief found ,allan waiting1 stolid1 imperturbable1 reliable as ever1 with the car in spick-and-span order4 ,poor ,allan little knew what he was in for4 ,he had1 of course1 seen nothing of our recent little campaign1 as he had remained at ,robat during the past few weeks4 ,he was1 therefore1 quite delighted at the prospect of a little activity4 ,we gave our ponies to the camel sawars who had acted as guides to ,allan1 with instructions to take them back to ,kacha1 so ,idu and ,i took our places1 thankful to be in the car once more1 and set off on our journey ,south4 ,we soon passed through ,saindak1 and1 as the going was not quite as bad on that first day as we had expected1 we got farther than we had hoped1 reaching a halting place called ,jujak1 where there was an old ruined sarai 7rest-house7 and a good spring4 ,here we slept out in the open1 and set off early on the following morning4 ,idu was greatly impressed with the powers of the car1 and began to think it could go anywhere1 scale any height1 and slip through any opening1 however narrow4 ,this was flattering to the ,overland1 but it led us into future difficulties from which only great good luck extricated us4 ,we had intended going via ,mirjawa1 but ,idu pointed out that there was a much shorter way through the hills1 which1 he was quite certain1 the car could manage4 ,but we were to prove once more that the longest way round may often be the shortest way home6 ,the car entered the hills by a gorge which rose steeply to their summits1 and1 though we had to get out occasionally and push1 it really was astonishing how well she took the inclines4 ,but it was when we descended that our troubles began1 for1 in doing so1 we entered another gorge which grew narrower and narrower1 till1 at last1 ,allan stopped the car dead1 declaring that we could go no farther4 ,and a glance at our route did seem to show that we had manuvred ourselves into a hopeless impasse4 ,ahead the gorge was too narrow to allow of going on4 ,behind it was so steep that the car could not back out4 ,on the right we were completely shut in by the high steep sides of the gorge1 on the left it looked as impassable2 whilst it was quite impossible to turn6 ,there remained nothing for it but to dig a way out1 so we set to work1 and1 after working till we were wet through1 managed somehow to get the car through the wall of earth shutting us in on the left1 and out on to the open hill-side4 ,idu openly expressed his disgust and disappointment with the car4 ,he had given her credit for being capable of doing anything and going anywhere1 and this failure to pass through the eye of a needle diminished his respect for her4 ,there was still no direct way down the hill1 and we had perforce to go many miles out of our course1 in a long hair-pin loop1 to reach anything like decent going4 ,no one who has not attempted to take a car over trackless hills of rough1 broken surface1 and filled with blind gorges1 can have any idea of the difficulties that confronted us here1 and during the greater part of our journey to ,khwash4 ,by dint of ceaseless pulling and pushing1 and digging the car out again and again1 we managed to reach the rendezvous with ,landon before nightfall4 ,he marched in a few minutes after we arrived1 and was as frankly pleased as astonished to see us4 ,he had just come through another section of those hills himself4 ,he had not1 therefore1 expected the car would get through1 and was wondering how on earth ,i should ever rejoin him and the army4 ,so we all camped out in the open1 grateful for the coolness of the evening1 for the heat of the day had been terrific4 ,before sunrise on the following morning ,landon marched out1 and1 as soon as we had lost sight of him1 ,idu1 ,allan1 and myself set off in the car4 ,i do not propose to give a detailed account of the remainder of our journey4 ,one day was very like another1 and the bad surface only differed in quality and degree4 ,the heat was very great by day1 and the glare over the sandy wastes and hills almost blinding4 ,here and there1 especially in the ,galugan valley1 we came across groups of human beings1 mostly of a low type of humanity1 who bolted in terror at sight of the car4 ,one evening we halted at a settlement of ,rekis1 ,idu's own tribe1 and received a very warm welcome1 for one of ,idu's wives was amongst his people4 ,the rascal always maintained that he had no interest in women1 but1 nevertheless1 seemed to me to be a very good understudy to the proverbial sailor1 for he appeared to have a wife in every village and encampment4 ,this particular ,mrs ,idu was delighted at the unexpected reunion with her husband1 and did the honours of the camp right royally4 ,following accepted custom1 ,i1 first of all1 bought a few sheep from the ,jugi-dwellers1 and then presented these to them so that they could prepare a feast4 ,mrs ,idu1 a very unprepossessing-looking1 but highly amiable lady1 acted as hostess1 and we all squatted round the camp fires while the meat was roasting4 ,allan's face was a picture as he watched the tribesmen cook and eat their meat4 ,they hacked chunks of flesh from the dead carcasses of the sheep with the knives they always carried1 spitted them on the cleaning rods of their rifles1 and roasted them over the fire4 ,these they ate voraciously1 as though very hungry1 and1 as a matter of fact1 food in that district is both scarce and monotonous4 ,in any case they devoured the meat whilst it was still nearly raw4 ,even ,idu ate his meat half-cooked1 maintaining that it was far more tender in such a state4 ,of course1 the car was a source of intense interest and excitement4 ,at first the tribesmen were too afraid of it to go anywhere near it1 but when they saw it stand quite still at ,allan's orders1 and that it had no bite1 curiosity overcame fear1 and1 one by one1 they crept up and nervously touched it4 ,at this stage ,allan sounded the ,claxton1 and1 with shrieks of terror1 they all bolted4 ,but ,idu1 who had come over the mountains in it1 and1 therefore1 had lost all fear of the monster1 felt a devil of a fellow1 and1 with a flourish1 assured them it was not the roar inside which made it go1 and that it would do no one any harm4 ,so they came back to it once more1 and1 after some persuasion1 were induced to sound the ,claxton themselves4 ,once familiar with it1 they laughed like children each time it barked1 and ,i began to wish ,i had taken the thing off before we started4 ,after supper ,idu prepared my blankets under the shelter of a small bush1 but1 before turning in1 ,i sat down on the ground for a final smoke1 placing the hurricane lamp from the car on the hard smooth earth in front of me4 ,the light naturally attracted myriads of insects of all sorts1 many of which ,i had never seen before1 and which are1 ,i feel sure1 unknown in ,india4 ,beetles of many sorts swarmed around1 both in the air and on the ground1 whilst a scorpion1 the biggest ,i have ever seen1 darted out from the darkness to inspect the light4 ,he was a brown fellow1 not an iridescent blue1 like the ,burmese variety1 though he was quite as big4 ,with his tail curled right over his back1 and sting ready to strike1 he looked a formidable person1 and it was comic to watch the haste with which all the lesser fry scuttled out of his way1 and1 though he made many attempts to secure his supper1 ,i did not see him succeed1 so swift were his intended victims in escaping from their dreaded enemy4 ,we were1 as usual1 up in the morning before daybreak1 and en route before the rest of the camp was astir4 ,the going that morning proved fairly good1 the chief obstacle being huge clumps of a coarse1 rank grass1 which we had to circumvent4 ,we had proceeded some distance when ,idu1 whose eyes seemed able not only to see in the dark1 but through hills and fields of crops1 suddenly exclaimed1 ,i can see men in front of us4 ,we had better halt while ,i go forward and find out whether they are friends or enemies4 ,we stopped the car1 for we were now on the borders of ,jiand's territory1 and these men might be his followers treating us to an ambush4 ,idu leapt out1 and1 advancing under cover with the eel-like movements all these ,raiders possess1 reconnoitred the position4 ,obviously all was well1 for1 shortly afterwards1 he sauntered back in the open and told me that it was quite all right4 ,the men he had seen were ,rekis1 and they were now coming to speak to me4 ,soon afterwards fifteen well-armed1 powerful-looking men on camels ambled up to us1 and ,i was grateful indeed to know they were friendlies and not ,jiand's men4 ,they1 however1 kept at a respectful distance from the car1 which was still retaining its moral effect1 and implored me1 as the friend and protector of ,idu and of themselves1 to go back4 ,jiand is advancing on ,khwash1 ,sahib1 with a big lashkar1 they said4 ,he is probably already there1 and he will kill you and your followers unless you run away on the devil which has brought you here4 ,i expressed a hope that their information was wrong1 and that1 as it was not certain that ,jiand was already in ,khwash1 ,i still hoped to get there first4 ,i pointed out to them that if we could only get into ,khwash we could1 with their help1 hold it or even bluff ,jiand into surrendering without a fight4 ,after a little further persuasion by ,idu--who told them what wonders the car could do1 and what rewards they would gain--and after considerable talk among themselves they decided to throw in their lot with us4 ,we shall want all the help they can give us with the car1 ,idu whispered to me1 for the ground we have to pass through between here and ,khwash is far worse than anything we have crossed yet4 ,i could imagine nothing worse than the first two days amongst the hills4 ,but ,idu knew what he was talking about1 as we were to discover during the next twenty-four hours4 ,at this point ,i sent one of these men back to try and find ,landon and the army4 ,as ,idu had sketched out the best route for them to follow he was able to tell him the exact direction in which to go4 ,in the interval ,i wrote a message to ,landon urging him to use his best speed1 for it had now developed into a race between ,jiand and ourselves1 and telling him that ,i hoped to reach ,khwash myself before the following evening4 ,i of course knew that nearly everything hung upon getting to ,khwash first4 ,if ,jiand got in with his men1 he could hold it as long as he chose against us1 and vice versa4 ,it was clear1 too1 that the holder of ,khwash was master of the ,sarhad4 ,moreover1 ,i felt a grave responsibility for the lives of the five ,sepoys ,i had left there1 for they would meet with short shrift at ,jiand's hands4 ,the message dispatched1 we set off once more1 with our new cavalcade in attendance1 and had gone some twenty or twenty-five miles when ,idu again asked for a halt as he believed he saw men camped in a little nullah straight ahead of us4 ,were he correct they would be ,yarmahommedzais1 and so our enemies1 for we were now right in the heart of ,jiand's territory4 ,allan was1 therefore1 directed to drive the car into the mouth of a nullah close at hand1 where the car1 and the ,rekis with their camels1 could be concealed1 and where we could fill up our water-bottles and the radiator1 from a small stream that trickled through it4 ,the banks of the nullah had been hollowed out by the action of the water1 so affording a certain amount of shade1 for which we were very grateful after the burning heart of the open sandy plain4 ,after rest and a drink ,idu went out to reconnoitre1 and presently returned with a glum face4 ,they are ,izzat's men1 he said4 7,izzat1 it will be remembered1 had been the ringleader in the recent raid into ,persia1 which had resulted in the capture of so many women and children74 ,izzat is a great fighter1 and we are in for a scrap4 ,how many men has he with him8 ,i asked4 ,about eighteen1 ,idu replied4 ,only eighteen8 ,i felt relieved4 ,why1 then we are about equal in numbers1 to say nothing of the car4 ,if they want a fight they shall have it4 ,idu looked dubious4 ,in any case it would mean the loss of many of my tribe1 and we shall want them all if we are to hold ,khwash4 ,will the ,general ,sahib permit me to go and see if ,i can persuade ,izzat not to fight8 ,knowing ,idu's persuasive qualities ,i gave a ready consent1 but warned him to take no personal risks4 ,with his great knowledge of the country1 and of all the ,sarhadis with their different peculiarities1 he was absolutely indispensable to me1 and ,i have no hesitation in making the admission4 ,furthermore1 ,i had conceived a very genuine affection for the man1 whose utter devotion and loyalty never swerved from the moment he joined me4 ,have no fear1 ,sahib1 he said with a grin4 ,you know the law of our tribes4 ,it is the one law we never break4 ,idu then went forward1 and1 from safe cover1 shouted out to ,izzat1 explaining who he was1 and asking for a safe conduct4 ,this was instantly given4 ,i have said before in this narrative1 and ,i proved again and again1 that whilst the ,raiders would break every other law and oath1 even when given on the ,koran1 the one law they never break is that of hospitality4 ,if they promise safe conduct it is absolutely observed in letter and spirit4 ,accordingly1 ,idu went forward boldly1 quite certain1 according to the code of his enemies1 that his life was safe until he returned to his friends4 ,his conversation with ,izzat proved a lengthy one4 ,izzat was hard to convince4 ,but1 at last1 and as usual1 ,idu's wily tongue won the day4 ,when he returned it was to tell me that he had persuaded ,izzat and his men to come along with us1 if not as friends at any rate not as enemies4 ,he gave me a rsum of the arguments he had used4 ,these were original1 even for ,idu1 with whose methods ,i was beginning to be familiar4 ,the conversation must have been something as follows3 ,what are you doing here1 ,izzat8 ,your home is a long way from here4 ,i have come to fight the ,british ,general1 and ,i am in command of a reconnoitring party to report to ,jiand1 who is advancing on ,khwash4 ,do ,i understand you8 said ,idu4 ,do you seriously mean that you have come with the intention of fighting the ,general ,sahib8 ,i do1 replied ,izzat4 ,then1 said ,idu scornfully1 all ,i can tell you is that you will be wiped out in a couple of seconds4 ,if you fight1 you will prove yourself a liar4 ,the ,general ,sahib captured you and could have killed you and all your men4 ,instead he treated you well1 gave you back your rifles1 large sums of money1 and let you go free4 ,moreover1 you swore on the ,koran at ,kacha that you would never fight against him again1 and put your thumb-mark on the agreement4 ,you are a fine kind of ,mahommedan to break your oath given on the ,koran4 ,besides1 you fool1 don't you know that the ,general ,sahib has brought a wonderful devil with him8 ,come over here and look4 ,he led ,izzat to a spot whence he could see the car4 ,do you see1 he went on1 that queer thing there8 ,and do you see that the front part of it is filled with hundreds of little holes8 ,the ,general ,sahib has only to press a button and a hail of bullets will come out of those holes1 and you1 and all your men1 will be killed4 ,he is only waiting till ,i go back4 ,i have come out to try and save your lives4 ,if ,i tell him that you are going to fight he will press the button1 and there will not be one of you left4 ,your only hope is to go and fall at his feet and ask him to forgive you4 ,izzat was deeply impressed1 and1 after consultation with his men1 told ,idu that he would accept his advice4 ,if1 therefore1 he would go back and beg the ,sahib not to destroy them with his motor-car they would follow a few minutes later and surrender6 ,allan roared with laughter at ,idu's explanation of the radiator1 but after a few moments grew serious4 ,do you think it's safe to let them come1 sir8 ,they seem a pretty brutal lot2 and when they find out that ,idu has been spoofing them they may attack us1 and cut our throats before we can do them much damage8 ,i know1 but we'll hang on to ,idu's bluff about the radiator as long as we can4 ,besides1 we are nearly man to man4 ,remember1 the one thing to do is to show no sign of fear or doubt of them4 ,that impresses them more than anything4 ,so ,allan and ,i remained seated in the shade of the overhanging bank1 whilst ,izzat and his men came and sat in a circle in front of us4 ,i then proceeded to tell ,izzat1 in very plain language1 what ,i thought of him4 ,his mind was still visibly working under the impression ,idu had produced1 for he appeared quite cowed in his apologies for his conduct4 ,after a long dressing-down ,i thought it advisable to make a show of magnanimity1 so promised to forgive him on condition that he and his men came along with me1 and helped me when ,i needed assistance with the car4 ,i explained that1 though it was a devil1 yet the sand sometimes obstructed it and then it needed human help4 ,izzat promised anything and everything ,i asked1 even volunteering to fight for me if ,i wanted him4 ,this latter promise1 however1 ,i utterly discounted4 ,it was not in the least likely that he would fight against his own tribe1 and ,i knew that we should have to be perpetually on the look-out for treachery1 especially until ,landon and his little force arrived4 ,but ,i had got out of ,izzat1 whilst still uncertain of his fate1 the information that ,jiand's preparations for the taking of ,khwash had been quicker than ,i had expected2 also that he was already on the march in full force1 and would surely reach ,khwash the following day4 ,this meant that we had not a moment to lose4 ,i had hoped that by arriving on the following evening ,i should be in time4 ,but now we must make a dash for it1 and1 by hook or by crook1 arrive by the morning4 ,evening was already approaching1 but instead of camping for the night as ,i had intended1 and getting by daylight through the hills lying between us and the valley in which ,khwash stood1 it would now be necessary to negotiate them by night4 ,allan looked dubious when ,i told him of my decision4 ,i can't guarantee to get the car through1 sir1 he said4 ,idu says these hills are far worse than the hills near ,ladis1 and you know what a job we had getting through them by daylight4 ,but ,i'll do my best4 ,and if ever a man did his best ,allan did his right nobly that night4 ,a whole series of hills1 without any tracks over them1 intersected with nullahs1 valleys filled with sand-drifts1 and marshy tracts1 had to be negotiated in the darkness1 lighted only by the stars and the car's lamps4 ,on the lower slopes we got stuck again and again in the narrow steep-sided nullahs1 and it took the combined efforts of the ,rekis1 ,izzat's men and a stout rope1 always carried on the car1 to drag her out4 ,over and over again it seemed as though we must give up the attempt and wait for daylight4 ,but ,allan came of the right stock4 ,he also knew well how vitally important for ,british prestige throughout the ,sarhad it was to be first in ,khwash1 and so confirm our supremacy there4 ,so ,allan stuck to his job1 muttering repeatedly when the difficulties seemed insuperable1 ,i'm a ,british bull-dog1 sir1 and ,i am not going to be beat4 ,this expression of ,allan's afterwards became a saying amongst our men when any difficulty arose4 ,but if ,allan wasn't beaten the car very nearly was at one point when negotiating the worst bit of ground ,i have ever passed over in my life--for there was no going round it4 ,the strata here were up-ended1 and consisted of alternate layers of shale and quartz4 ,weathering had done its work more easily on the shale1 hence the quartz1 which was much thinner than the shale1 projected upwards in great dagger-like points in every direction1 and over a long distance4 ,of course tyres and tubes were cut to ribbons in a few minutes1 and1 as it would have been futile to replace them1 the car was literally dragged over the ground on her rims4 ,as may be imagined1 when we had left this awful bit of ground behind1 my poor car was in a pitiable condition4 ,luckily1 ,allan had plenty of spare tubes and four fresh tyres4 ,with these adjusted1 we started again1 but the ground was still so bad that every mile or so we were badly punctured1 and tubes had to be replaced or patched4 ,it must be understood1 too1 that the heat was intense1 even at night time4 ,i can safely say that that one night's journey was the very worst ,i have ever experienced in any part of the world4 ,we were all utterly exhausted long before daybreak1 and1 every now and again1 despite our desperate anxiety1 eyelids closed and heads nodded4 ,as for ,allan1 sturdy bull-dog though he was1 nature was too strong for him4 ,just as dawn broke his heavy eyelids closed for a second as he sat at the wheel4 ,but that second proved fatal4 ,the car swerved a fraction from the course we had been following by the light of the lamps1 and1 in an instant1 it was over the edge of the track and firmly embedded in a sandy nullah-bed4 ,a few minutes later the sun rose over the plain below us1 lighting up the walls of ,khwash1 a bare five miles away4 ,allan was in despair at the position of affairs and cursed himself for his momentary relaxation4 ,but the damage had been done1 and1 as we knew by experience how long it would take to extricate the car1 we decided to abandon it and press forward to ,khwash with all speed4 ,i invited myself on to ,izzat's own camel1 as it looked the most comfortable6 ,allan was induced to get on to another1 and ,idu invited himself on to the next best-looking animal4 ,i ordered ,izzat to ride close beside me1 for ,i did not trust him for a moment1 more especially since the failure of the car1 whose first impression had been so satisfactory4 ,and then1 as fast as we could urge the animals1 we ambled on towards our ,mecca1 with the question ever before us1 shall we be in time or has ,jiand forestalled us8 ,,chapter ,,viii ,,khwash ,,and ,,the ,,second ,,surrender ,doubts dispelled--,organisation for defence--,idu's ,exiat--,and its result--,jiand arrives--,idu's second visit--,the ,sarhad-dar arrives--,landon at last--,jiand's visit of ceremony--,the ,gul-,bibi--,shah ,sawar's treachery--,we call on the ,rose ,lady--,a carpet and the ,sarhad-dar's advice--,another ,durbar--,returned loot--,temporary peace4 ,as we approached the fort1 still in doubt as to whether ,jiand occupied it or not1 ,allan turned round on his camel and asked1 ,which way shall we run1 sir1 if we have to run8 ,i laughed1 though ,i could not help approving his foresight4 ,there's no more running1 ,allan4 ,if ,jiand is not in ,khwash1 all will be well4 ,if he is--well1 you can take it from me1 the game's up4 ,there'll be no running for any of us4 ,we were now near enough to see a man standing on the top of one of the towers4 ,was he one of the men ,i had left1 or a ,yarmahommedzai8 ,a few minutes later we could distinguish his uniform4 ,we were in time6 ,we should be first into ,khwash after all6 ,in my joy ,i took off my helmet and waved it to show the man ,i was not one of the enemy1 for he might easily have mistaken us1 seeing that we were all mounted on camels4 ,he paused a moment1 then1 recognising the signal1 tore down from the tower1 quitted the walls and rushed out to meet us1 nearly beside himself with excitement and relief4 ,you are only just in time1 ,sahib1 he said4 ,shah ,sawar has already arrived with a large force and is encamped close by4 ,we have been expecting him to attack all the morning4 ,come quickly into the fort1 or1 even now1 you may be too late4 ,we needed no second bidding1 but1 urging the camels forward1 pressed on1 and were soon all safely contained within strong mud walls4 ,without a moment's delay the place was organised for defence4 ,this was done as well as it was possible to do1 pending the arrival of ,landon with his force4 ,the five infantrymen till now constituting the garrison were put in the highest tourelle1 where ,i also took up my quarters4 ,from this vantage-point ,i not only had the best view of the whole plain but could command every inch of the fort's interior4 ,idu's men manned the three remaining tourelles1 whilst ,izzat's band were placed1 all together1 in the centre of the ,square1 where a watchful eye could be kept on them4 ,izzat himself ,i kept close by my side1 for ,idu1 who knew him too well to trust him a yard1 advised me to keep a close personal watch on him4 ,the place was now as secure as our limited numbers could make it1 and no more could be done but await developments4 ,idu1 who had never left my side1 now asked permission to leave the fort for the purpose of questioning the ,khwashis outside the walls4 ,he also asked for some money with which to bribe them4 ,a very little will open their mouths1 ,sahib1 he said persuasively4 ,and they will surely know all about the movements of ,shah ,sawar and of ,jiand4 ,as no enemy had yet appeared in sight ,i gave him leave to go1 and all the money ,i had in my pocket4 ,on his return he informed me that he had learned exactly where ,shah ,sawar and his men were encamped1 and proposed that he should go out and confer with him4 ,at first ,i refused point-blank4 ,idu could not go on bearing a charmed life1 and ,shah ,sawar was a treacherous scoundrel4 ,i pointed out that even if ,shah ,sawar did not kill him he might take and keep him prisoner1 and ,i could not possibly do without him4 ,his loss would be irreparable4 ,idu was obviously pleased and flattered at my appreciation of him1 but persisted that his was the wiser plan4 ,you have seen1 again and again1 ,sahib1 that what ,i have told you is always true4 ,no ,sarhadi will break his oath of safe conduct to an enemy4 ,i know1 ,i replied4 ,but you have not got that promise from ,shah ,sawar1 and without it ,i will not let you go4 ,idu1 who had the utmost faith in his own powers of persuasion1 was not to be done4 ,he argued that it would be easy enough to bribe one of the ,khwashis1 encamped outside1 to go over to ,shah ,sawar and get the necessary safe conduct4 ,at last1 and with great reluctance1 ,i consented1 provided ,shah ,sawar sent every assurance and guarantee that there would be no treachery if ,idu went as an emissary4 ,in due course these assurances arrived4 ,i had1 therefore1 to keep my word to ,idu1 and give my consent1 though1 even then1 ,i did not trust ,shah ,sawar4 ,however1 once again ,idu's confidence in that one1 all-sacred law of hospitality was justified4 ,from my tower ,i watched him start1 but he was very quickly lost to view amongst the sand dunes and fields with their tall-grown crops which lay between the fort and ,shah ,sawar's camp1 some three miles distant4 ,he was away something like three hours1 and ,i was beginning to get desperately anxious1 when1 to my great relief1 ,i saw him ambling back on his ,mari4 ,he was highly pleased with the success of his mission1 and gave me a full and detailed account of his meeting with ,shah ,sawar4 ,as usual he had taken a high tone1 and1 on arriving at the camp1 had immediately and scornfully approached the ,chief4 ,so ,i see you are about to make a fool of yourself again4 ,but what do you think you are going to do8 ,the ,general ,sahib is in ,khwash waiting for you6 ,at first ,shah ,sawar refused to believe this1 saying that it was impossible to have got there from ,kacha in the time4 ,it was evident that the ,khwashi sent as a messenger had faithfully kept the oath ,idu had exacted from him1 i4e41 that he would give ,shah ,sawar no indication whatever of my presence1 or any reason for ,idu's request for a safe conduct to his camp4 ,but when ,idu persisted that1 possible or not1 ,i was there with a considerable force1 and that a large army was approaching to reinforce me1 and would be in ,khwash at any minute1 ,shah ,sawar asked how on earth it had been done4 ,he well knew the country lying between ,kacha and ,khwash1 and he could not believe the distance had been covered since he himself had seen the ,general ,sahib in ,kacha4 ,idu replied that it was nevertheless true1 and that he had come in a motor-car1 also that he1 ,idu1 had come in it too6 ,what is a motor-car8 asked ,shah ,sawar1 and how could it come over the hills8 ,a motor-car1 replied ,idu 7this is his own account71 is an infernal machine which climbs any hill as fast as you like4 ,it can spread bullets in every direction4 ,neither you nor anyone else has the slightest chance if you try to fight against it4 ,it appears that ,shah ,sawar did not know whether to believe or disbelieve ,idu's strange statements1 so produced a ,koran which all ,sarhadis carry concealed somewhere under their robes4 ,will you swear on the ,koran that the ,general ,sahib is in ,khwash1 and that he really came over the hills in this strange thing which you call a motor-car1 also that this motor-car is at ,khwash8 ,idu grinned when he told me that he had sworn to all these facts4 ,of course ,i knew1 ,sahib1 that we had left the motor-car away up in the sandhills1 but ,i know how you loved it1 and ,i guessed that you would have sent parties of ,khwashi to fetch it in4 ,this is exactly what ,i had done under ,allan's guidance1 for he had been heartbroken at the thought of leaving the car to become derelict4 ,she had therefore been dragged out by the docile ,khwashis1 and had only a short time before been brought triumphantly into the fort4 ,well1 is ,shah ,sawar coming to attack us8 ,i queried4 ,no1 ,sahib4 ,he is coming1 it is true1 but when he comes1 he will speak fair1 he will pretend that he never meant to fight against you1 but that he only came out with his men to do you honour6 ,so in due course ,shah ,sawar arrived1 and when ,idu brought me word that he was approaching1 ,i went outside the fort to meet him4 ,i had not the slightest desire that he should see how few men were inside the walls1 neither did ,i wish him to have the chance of speech with any of ,izzat's men4 ,he was received with all the dignity ,i could muster1 and ,i outwardly accepted his assurance that he had only come on a friendly mission1 in fact for the purpose of doing me honour4 ,i told him1 however1 that for the present he must remain with me as my prisoner--or guest--anyhow until his over-lord1 ,jiand1 had arrived and vouched for his permanent good conduct4 ,i then asked him casually when he expected ,jiand to arrive4 ,he replied that the old ,chief would be outside the walls of ,khwash that evening1 and that he was then only a very few miles distant4 ,i then dismissed ,shah ,sawar under escort1 and ordered ,idu to select one of his trustiest men4 ,this man ,i told to choose the swiftest camel in the place1 to set off at once1 find our approaching force1 and give a letter to ,major ,landon4 ,in this letter ,i asked ,landon to send on the cavalry at once1 at whatever time the message reached him1 as they must1 without fail1 be in the fort that night or early next morning if the situation was to be saved4 ,the infantry and supply camels must follow as soon after as possible without the protection of the cavalry4 ,these orders were sent because ,i knew perfectly well that1 at any moment1 our true strength1 or rather our weakness1 might be betrayed by some ignorant ,khwashi1 or worse still1 by some unsuspected traitor within the walls4 ,it does not need much imagination to understand that if ,jiand had got to know the truth before reinforcements could reach us1 he and ,shah ,sawar's men combined1 would have been able to take the fort in a very short time4 ,just at nightfall1 to our dismay1 we learned that ,jiand himself1 with a large following1 had arrived in the immediate neighbourhood1 had camped close at hand1 and was preparing to attack us at once4 ,once again ,idu volunteered to do a conjuring trick4 ,it was a race now against time4 ,if ,landon could reach us during the night we could snap our fingers at ,jiand4 ,if he failed1 well--we were done4 ,to gain time1 even a few hours1 meant everything4 ,so having1 as usual1 obtained the promise of safe conduct1 ,idu went out to visit ,jiand1 and to endeavour once more to play the great game of bluff4 ,but when he returned he seemed very doubtful as to the success of his mission4 ,he told ,jiand that ,i was already in ,khwash1 having arrived by motor-car1 on whose supernatural powers he enlarged once more2 also that my whole army was in ,khwash1 having come in motor-cars1 which were quite wonderful1 though not so wonderful as mine 7,idu's powers of imagination were on the up grade674 ,jiand was1 moreover1 acquainted with the fact that ,shah ,sawar had already seen the folly of attempting to fight1 and had paid me a visit of ceremony and of submission4 ,idu went on to say that ,i had heard of his treachery1 and the fact that he was marching towards ,khwash to attack me there2 also that ,i was in a towering rage about it1 and was fully prepared for him4 ,his urgent advice to him 7,jiand7 was that he should present himself at the fort at eleven o'clock the following morning1 make his profound apologies to the ,general ,sahib1 and that1 meanwhile1 he would himself plead with the ,general not to be too severe with the ,chief when he came to surrender6 ,do you think he'll wait till then8 ,i asked4 ,i don't know1 ,sahib1 ,idu replied4 ,and for once his cheery good spirits seemed to have deserted him4 ,i am not at all sure that ,jiand believed a word ,i said4 ,if he did not he will attack us to-night1 and---- he stopped significantly4 ,we all understood4 ,here were we1 a mere handful of men1 in that old mud fort 7which meant so much to both sides7 with two large enemy camps outside4 ,either of them1 if they once learned the truth1 could obliterate us in a few hours4 ,combined1 our chances would not be given even that amount of rope4 ,it was a desperately anxious night4 ,everything now depended upon ,landon getting my message4 ,if an accident1 or any other untoward happening1 held up his force1 or delayed it1 we might reckon that all was up4 ,we could not hope to rely on bluff beyond the following morning4 ,some of the ,khwashis would1 as certain as to-morrow's sun1 be questioned by the ,yarmahommedzais1 and1 if so1 the truth as to the fort's garrison would be dragged from them4 ,i warned the five infantrymen of the great danger threatening us1 and told them that there could be no sleep for anyone that night4 ,everyone must keep his eyes skinned for any movement in the darkness which might be the forerunner of a sudden night attack4 ,i myself made no attempt to sleep1 but continually patrolled to see that every man was awake and in his place1 and that no movement or talking occurred amongst ,izzat's men4 ,interminable though it seemed1 the night at last wore itself out1 and1 as the dawn broke1 ,i climbed to the top of the highest tourelle1 like ,sister ,anne1 to see if anybody was coming4 ,so far not a sign of the army1 which must approach from the ,north4 ,my spirits sank1 and ,i anxiously turned towards the ,east1 and ,south-,east1 on which sides ,jiand's and ,shah ,sawar's men were encamped4 ,no signs of movement there1 but this meant little1 for ,i knew that1 under cover of those well-grown crops1 their men could stealthily approach1 almost to the walls1 before being observed4 ,once again my eyes turned to the ,north4 ,the hours went by1 and with every one that passed my anxiety grew4 ,what had happened to ,landon8 ,had he been able to make good time1 or was he1 as he easily might be1 if anything had gone wrong1 still a day's march away8 ,suddenly ,i saw a small cloud of dust stirring in the plain to the ,north1 and my heart bounded4 ,out of the cloud of dust there presently emerged the solitary figure of a camel with a man on his back4 ,the camel devoured the plain until it was close to the walls1 and ,i rushed down to the gate to see who the rider might be4 ,it was my friend the ,sarhad-dar1 and ,i was more touched than words can express by the manner in which he met me1 embarrassing though it was at the moment4 ,he flung his arms round me and embraced me with the utmost affection1 for he said that he had not hoped to see me alive4 ,my urgent message had reached ,landon1 who was now pushing forward at his utmost speed4 ,they had also had numerous confirmations of the information ,i had given as to the numbers ,jiand was bringing against ,khwash1 and of his intention to retake and kill its defenders4 ,the ,sarhad-dar's early arrival was explained by his action in telling ,major ,landon he could not wait to ride at the slower pace of the army1 but must forge on ahead to see whether he could do anything to help me4 ,the ,sarhad-dar's action was one of great bravery1 for he rode quite alone through territory which he was fully aware might have been swarming with enemies1 and who were actually only a short distance from his path4 ,when he saw ,shah ,sawar he turned and cursed him volubly1 telling him he was an accursed liar and traitor1 and that1 one day1 he would see to it that he got his full deserts4 ,once again ,i mounted to the tourelle1 and this time the dust raised by the approaching cavalry could be plainly seen4 ,idu1 who was with me1 looking in the opposite direction1 announced that men were moving in ,jiand's camp4 ,but1 though ,i have very good eyesight1 and though ,i looked hard and long in the direction indicated1 ,i could see nothing4 ,idu's sight was certainly phenomenal1 but he could not tell whether this movement foretold an attack or a friendly visit4 ,in any case it was very lucky that ,landon's relieving force was so close at hand4 ,a few minutes later ,landon himself arrived with the cavalry1 hot1 fagged out1 and covered with sand1 but much bucked at the fact that he had arrived in time4 ,the camels and infantry were only a short distance behind1 for1 as we knew by bitter experience1 the last stage of the route had been so bad1 that1 until the plain had been reached1 five miles away1 the cavalry could make no better going than the rest of our small force2 hence the short distance separating them4 ,as a matter of fact the whole force arrived very soon after1 full of fighting spirit1 despite the fact that1 for over a month1 it had been continually on the march4 ,i felt we could now snap our fingers at ,jiand4 ,as may be imagined it was a very cheery morning1 for1 now that the guns had arrived1 we knew that ,jiand had about as much chance of taking ,khwash as of grasping the moon4 ,we had beaten him in the race with only an hour or two to spare1 but since we had won1 the game was up for ,jiand1 at any rate for the moment--and he knew it6 ,in due course the old ruffian1 for he was not lacking in pluck whatever he might lack in truth1 arrived to pay a ceremonial visit1 which he said was merely for the purpose of doing me honour4 ,he had heard1 he said1 that it had been represented to the ,general ,sahib that he had come on a warlike mission4 ,this rumour was quite untrue4 ,he had merely come1 with about a hundred of his tribe1 to repeat the assurances he had already given of his absolute loyalty to the ,british ,raj6 ,as a matter of fact he had left the bulk of his men at the camp because he was afraid that they would be disarmed4 ,he then asked whether he might see the motor-car1 about which he had heard such wonderful stories4 ,i promptly deputed ,idu the romancer as lecturer1 for no one could compete with him in a description of its marvels4 ,allan solemnly set the car in motion1 and ,jiand and his men gazed at him as a sort of demi-god4 ,so one must be who could so control the devil in this queer shaped thing that he could make it1 without the help of camels or horses1 move across the plain and climb the hills4 ,both he and the ,general ,sahib must surely be in close league with ,sheitan6 ,after a while ,i asked ,jiand if he would like to go for a ride in it1 assuring him he would enjoy it4 ,but he promptly replied that he would not risk it that day4 ,perhaps at some other time4 ,as a matter of fact the old ,chief was utterly unnerved at his second failure1 and obviously under the impression that his position as over-lord of the ,sarhad was once again in jeopardy4 ,when ,jiand left ,i gave ,shah ,sawar leave to go too1 but warned him that the next time he broke his word it would be the last chance he would get of doing it4 ,towards evening ,idu1 who had slipped away from the fort on secret business of his own1 came up to my quarters to tell me that when ,jiand and ,shah ,sawar had got back to their camp1 they had received a fine scolding from the ,gul-,bibi1 ,shah ,sawar's wife1 for whose fair sake1 it will be remembered1 the latter had bartered ,khwash to ,mahommed-,hassan1 her nearest male relation4 ,and he chuckled as he went on to describe how this imperious lady had jeered at them both1 calling them fools1 and twitting them with the fact that it was now common talk that the ,general had arrived with a mere handful of men1 and had simply tricked them into surrender4 ,nor did she leave the matter there4 ,she proceeded to tell ,jiand that1 had he had the heart of a mouse he could have attacked and taken ,khwash the night before1 or even early that morning1 for the ,general's little force had not arrived till the sun was well up4 ,for her part1 she said all her admiration was for the ,general1 and she intended to send him two sheep as a present1 and as a mark of her appreciation4 ,as a matter of fact1 ,idu concluded1 the sheep have already arrived4 ,but ,i can't accept presents from a people who have been showing themselves hostile1 ,i said4 ,and how is it that a woman can have the audacity to lecture a ,chief like ,jiand1 whatever she may do to her own husband8 ,you don't know the ,gul-,bibi--yet1 ,idu grinned4 ,but you will4 ,she is one of the most influential individuals in the ,sarhad1 though she is a woman4 ,also1 she is one of the most beautiful women in the world4 ,and you must pardon me1 ,sahib1 but you must accept the sheep she has sent4 ,for it would be looked upon as a great insult were you to refuse4 ,the ,sarhad-dar concurred1 saying that there was no choice4 ,the sheep must be accepted as a peace-offering4 ,i gave in1 and asked what ,i ought to do in return4 ,go and call upon her1 ,sahib1 said ,idu4 ,the ,gul-,bibi is accustomed to have honour paid to her4 ,all right1 ,i replied1 and turning to ,landon1 who had been present and much amused1 ,i added1 ,you'll have to come too4 ,i'm a married man1 and ,i'm not going to call on the most beautiful woman in the world alone2 though1 by the way1 ,i suppose she will be veiled8 ,certainly not1 ,idu put in4 ,the ,gul-,bibi values her good looks far too highly to conceal them4 ,i'll let her know to-night that you and ,major ,landon will call upon her to-morrow in the motor-car4 ,she will be more pleased at that than at the gift of many sheep4 ,that evening ,landon gave me a very disconcerting piece of information1 particularly so in the light of present arrangements4 ,it was to the effect that1 on the way to ,khwash1 he had captured one of ,shah ,sawar's men carrying letters to the ,germans4 ,these letters had been written immediately after ,shah ,sawar had been released from ,kacha1 and in the face of the promises given and oaths sworn on the ,koran4 ,in these letters he had renewed his offers of help1 and had undertaken to allow them to pass1 whenever they chose1 through his section of the ,sarhad4 ,the treacherous brute6 ,i exclaimed4 ,what on earth are we to do about him now8 ,i've just sent him back to his own people1 and have come to terms with ,jiand4 ,moreover1 we have accepted the ,gul-,bibi's peace offering1 and have promised to visit her to-morrow4 ,she seems so influential1 too1 that if we make friends with her1 these ruffians may really keep their word this time4 ,after considerable discussion we decided to ignore ,shah ,sawar's treachery for the present and proceed as arranged4 ,shah ,sawar and ,jiand had large numbers of their fighting men on the spot1 and ,halil ,khan1 with a third big force1 was to be expected on the morrow4 ,we must1 therefore1 endeavour to disperse some of these brigands to their homes before we court-martialled that arch-villain ,shah ,sawar6 ,the following morning ,landon1 the ,sarhad-dar1 ,idu and myself1 set off in the car to call upon the ,rose ,lady--the most beautiful woman in the world6 ,half-way there ,shah ,sawar himself came to meet us1 and eventually conducted us to a huge jugi4 ,inside this we found the famous beauty1 seated on a pile of coloured cushions4 ,to my great surprise ,i found that ,idu had not exaggerated4 ,the ,gul-,bibi really was a beautiful young woman1 very fair for a ,sarhadi1 with regular1 clean cut1 almost ,grecian features1 and unusual-looking1 big hazel eyes4 ,she was evidently small-boned1 and her limbs and hands were beautifully modelled4 ,she was obviously aware of her own attractions1 and very animated4 ,her dress was white1 embroidered in ,persian colourings1 and she wore a chuddah over her head1 which fell in graceful folds1 without1 however1 in any way concealing her face4 ,on our entry she rose with dignity and bowed4 ,shah ,sawar then proceeded to introduce us one by one4 ,we each bowed in turn1 and1 at her invitation1 sat on the ground in front of her1 in a semicircle4 ,she then proceeded to make us a very charming address in ,persian1 which ,landon and ,i understood1 though we could neither of us speak much ,persian4 ,this concluded1 with the ,sarhad-dar's help1 as interpreter1 ,i did my best to make a suitable reply4 ,these preliminaries completed1 a very beautiful ,persian carpet was produced and offered to me by our hostess4 ,this was very embarrassing1 and ,i whispered to the ,sarhad-dar that ,i could not possibly accept it4 ,his reply was emphatic4 ,you cannot refuse it4 ,you must accept it as you have come here as her guest4 ,but1 ,i persisted1 ,i've got to court-martial her husband to-morrow1 or the next day1 and shall probably have to shoot him4 ,i can't take a present from her under such circumstances4 ,shoot him1 then1 if you must1 replied the ,sarhad-dar4 ,she can get plenty of husbands4 ,but you must accept the carpet now or you will give dire offence4 ,you can in any case send a money present of equivalent value to-morrow if you like4 ,so ,i was obliged to accept the carpet with the best grace ,i could1 and did my best in halting ,persian to praise both the gift and the giver4 ,after this the interview proceeded merrily1 and the ,gul-,bibi proceeded to chaff her husband quite openly1 telling him that he had been cleverly tricked and scored off4 ,she also told him that he was a fool and as one without intelligence4 ,but ,shah ,sawar only laughed1 taking his wife's raillery in good part4 ,it was obvious that she had him very much under her thumb1 and that he had a very strong regard for her4 ,altogether it resolved itself into quite a friendly meeting1 and1 presently1 we adjourned to inspect the car1 which1 as usual1 was the occasion of much awe and wonderment4 ,the inspection over we invited the ,gul-,bibi to go for a ride in it one day1 after which we took our leave and made our way back to ,khwash4 ,a day or so later ,halil ,khan arrived with a following of about twenty-five men4 ,he had left his lashkar some miles away1 for he had1 of course1 heard of the surrender of both ,jiand and ,shah ,sawar4 ,immediately upon his arrival we held another ,durbar1 and around the circle sat the same old collection of warriors1 with their ,chiefs ,jiand1 ,shah ,sawar1 ,mahommed-,hassan and ,halil ,khan4 ,juma ,khan1 the only man of his word ,i had yet encountered1 was the one absentee4 ,those who were present all solemnly swore to the fact that they were there on an entirely friendly mission1 and that1 if ,i had suspected otherwise1 ,i had been totally misinformed6 ,they were all sucking doves1 or their equivalent1 whose one desire was to do me honour6 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,durbar ,,at ,,khwash4 ,khan ,bahadur 7,sarhad-,dar7 standing4 ,illustration3 ,,raider ,,chiefs ,,at ,,the ,,durbar ,,at ,,khwash4 ,i played up to the game1 accepted their protestations1 and told them that1 this being so1 ,i had a proposition to make4 ,i then proceeded to suggest that the ,chiefs1 each with a certain number of followers1 should remain with me1 whilst the remainder were sent back to their homes4 ,my idea1 ,i said1 was to raise a corps of ,levies amongst the ,sarhadis4 ,i could guarantee that their pay would be good1 and1 as they were already such good fighting men1 their training light4 ,i also promised that many of their officers should be selected from amongst themselves4 ,after a short consultation they pretended to fall in with the idea1 and several of the tribesmen actually enlisted then and there4 ,but ,halil ,khan got up and begged me to excuse him4 ,he said it was not that he was not willing to serve in any corps ,i might wish to raise1 but that he was very anxious about his wife and family1 who were wandering about in the ,morpeish hills4 ,he was most eager to find them1 and would look on it as an act of grace if ,i would permit him to go4 ,as the whole scheme in view was to make their enlistment voluntary1 ,i had1 of course1 to consent4 ,but he was not to go without a warning1 and as he got up to leave ,i called him back1 and looked him straight between the eyes4 ,halil ,khan1 ,i said1 with all the severity ,i could muster1 if you play me false1 or ever raise your hand against me again1 ,i will blow your head off4 ,he looked back at me as steadily4 ,sahib1 your kindness overwhelms me4 ,i swear by the ,koran 7drawing one from under his robes7 that ,i will never fight against you again4 ,well1 ,i will accept your word this second time4 ,but if you fail to keep it--remember4 ,and so he left1 under safe conduct1 and shortly afterwards ,jiand1 but not until ,i had reminded him that ,i had not yet received the loot he had taken1 and which he1 at our last meeting1 had engaged to hand over4 ,i demanded its immediate return1 and laid special stress on the four tyres included in it4 ,i also told him that he must return1 at the same time1 all ,government camels seized when he had raided the ,british lines of communication1 and also the four hundred ,afghan camels which ,i had just heard his men had seized on the caravan route from ,nushki to ,robat4 ,jiand faithfully promised that all should be returned within a couple of days of his departure from the neighbourhood of ,khwash4 ,this promise he kept to the letter1 for the camels and loot arrived on the date specified4 ,as may be imagined1 the tyres were specially welcome4 ,those on the car were absolutely worn out1 and1 of course1 we had no possible means of obtaining others4 ,for the moment1 everything seemed peaceful4 ,so peaceful that we settled down in ,khwash for a few quiet weeks2 but1 in the interval1 did our utmost to make the place secure against all attacks4 ,,chapter ,,ix ,,treachery ,,and ,,its ,,sequel ,further reinforcements--,entrenchments and gardens--,government inquiries--,food supplies--,an offer to ,jiand--,murad and straw--,shah ,sawar again--,sentence--,idu's suggestion--,re-enter the ,rose ,lady--,news of ,jiand's intentions--,a vital moment--,a round-up--,the ,sarhad-dar's advice--,a ,bhusa hunt--,distrustful wives4 ,during this rest in ,khwash ,i was able to increase to some extent the forces under my command4 ,i obtained a whole squadron of the #bhth ,light ,cavalry1 under ,colonel ,claridge1 and two machine guns from ,nasaratabad4 ,in addition ,i obtained from ,kacha a considerable quantity of gun-cotton1 with fuses1 etc41 and a supply of barbed wire1 of which1 fortunately1 there were large stores at ,kacha4 ,the men were kept busy with their musketry training1 and with the improvements that were being made in and about the fort4 ,we also succeeded in creating a really creditable1 and very useful1 garden outside the walls1 with the help of a native gardener1 whom ,i had sent for from ,kacha4 ,he brought large quantities of seeds with him1 and it was amazing how1 in so short a time1 we were able to obtain full-grown marrows1 cucumbers1 pumpkins1 ,indian corn1 turnips1 carrots1 lettuces and spinach4 ,these fresh vegetables formed an invaluable addition to1 and variation of1 a very monotonous diet4 ,we also sowed a considerable amount of barley of a kind which comes to maturity and ripens within three months4 ,the men were immensely interested in their garden1 but were still more eager to toil on the serious work of improving our defences1 and in the building of barracks to obtain shelter from the sun4 ,the forces at my disposal were1 at best1 infinitesimal compared with those the ,raiders could collect1 though1 of course1 the latter were at the great disadvantage of being minus mountain or machine guns4 ,but supposing--as might happen at any moment--it became necessary to divide my forces1 part to go on any expedition1 and part to remain in defence of ,khwash1 the ,raiders1 if they chose to attack in numbers1 could1 without question1 recapture their capital4 ,i decided1 therefore1 to blow up the surrounding walls of the fort1 as well as the three smaller tourelles1 leaving the tallest tower alone standing4 ,in places of these raised tourelles ,i made an entrenched camp outside the site of the old walls4 ,peculiar folds in the ground lent themselves well to my purpose1 enabling me to place the defensive lines along the tops of the folds4 ,the interior of the work was thus well concealed from view4 ,the high tourelle was then improved and strengthened1 and a machine gun placed on its top to command the whole of the camp below4 ,those ,raiders dwelling in the surrounding districts took a keen interest in these changes1 for they were under the impression that we had only demolished the existing walls with the intention of building stronger and higher ones1 and asked me how high ,i intended to make them4 ,as ,i did not think it wise to gratify their curiosity1 ,i replied that1 when finished1 it might be just possible to see the tops of them6 ,from this reply the rumour got abroad that ,i was making a vast fortress1 and1 later on1 the ,persian ,government sent urgent inquiries as to why ,i had built a great fort in ,persia without its permission4 ,it was1 in consequence1 difficult to persuade them that ,i had built nothing1 but1 on the contrary1 had blown up existing walls1 and that all that ,i had done in excess of this was to dig into the ground6 ,although time was passing peacefully and busily in the organisation of these various works1 ,i was beginning to get very anxious about the food supply of both men and beasts4 ,it was now the end of ,may and the heat was intense4 ,the camels used in the caravans bringing supplies from ,india found little or no grazing between marches1 and died in their dozens on the way1 the consequence being that but little of the supplies despatched from ,india ever reached us4 ,our horses began to die off in alarming numbers4 ,the grass on the slopes of the hills surrounding ,khwash was of course quickly eaten up1 and we were reduced practically to nothing1 not possessing even straw as fodder4 ,to make matters worse there were still three months to wait before we could hope to obtain straw from the barley we had sown4 ,altogether the position was beginning to be of an alarming nature1 and ,i began to wonder whether1 though ,jiand and all his men had not been able to turn us out of ,khwash1 we might not be driven out by slow starvation4 ,something had to be done and done quickly4 ,no stone must be left unturned to save us from this pass1 and ,i cast about for means of feeding the animals other than by these failing supplies from ,india4 ,it was then that ,i suddenly remembered ,jiand's crops at ,kamalabad4 ,when1 on the first occasion1 he had surrendered there ,i had spared not only the lives of himself and his followers but his crops as well4 ,those crops ,i decided to call upon him to share with us now4 ,accordingly1 in the early part of ,june1 ,i sent for him1 and in a few days he obeyed the summons1 but was obviously reluctant1 and very morose4 ,i thereupon frankly told him the position with regard to the animals1 and said that ,i knew he must have vast quantities of bhusa from his crops1 for the bulk of which he could have no use1 and asked him to sell it4 ,the old villain refused point blank4 ,i swallowed my anger as best ,i could1 and told him ,i would give four times the market price for it if he would send it at once4 ,but he was obstinate1 and persisted in his refusal1 in spite of all my offers4 ,as a matter of fact ,i had been told repeatedly that it was ,jiand's one hope and ambition that ,i would try conclusions with him in his own part of the country1 where his secret hiding places1 and defences amidst the difficult hill country1 were only known to his own tribe4 ,moreover1 so ,i was also told1 ,halil ,khan was continually urging him to force me to fight4 ,halil ,khan himself was itching to wipe out the humiliation and discredit they had both suffered as an outcome of being bluffed twice when they could actually have wiped us out4 ,indignant as ,i was there was nothing to be done but to let him go4 ,i had promised him safe conduct to and fro2 ,i1 therefore1 had no alternative4 ,but there was still another stone that could be turned4 ,about five miles distant from the valley of ,kamalabad1 ,jiand's stronghold1 lay another fertile valley1 ,karsimabad1 the property of an old ,chief named ,murad4 ,this old man had at one time been the leader of the ,sarhad1 until ,jiand had deposed him from his leadership and assumed it himself4 ,although ,murad was outwardly on friendly terms with ,jiand--he was not strong enough to show himself otherwise--,i had heard many hints of the old ex-,chief's jealousy of and resentment towards ,jiand4 ,i1 therefore1 sent for ,murad and asked him if he would sell his straw1 telling him that ,jiand had refused to do business with me4 ,the old fellow assured me ,i could have all the straw ,i wanted1 and that ,i could have it for nothing4 ,of course ,i refused his generosity1 told him ,i would pay him what ,i had offered ,jiand1 and instructed him to get it ready as soon as possible1 when ,i would send my camels to bring it in4 ,before ,murad1 who was obviously delighted with such a good piece of business1 departed he gave me a word of warning which fully confirmed all ,i had heard of ,halil ,khan's and ,jiand's smouldering enmity4 ,if they can kill you1 ,sahib1 they will4 ,and they will most surely fight against you and try to kill you before many weeks are past4 ,it was about this date that repeated confirmations reached me of ,shah ,sawar's persistent treachery4 ,up to the present ,i had elected to ignore the incident of his letters to the ,germans4 ,they had never reached their destinations1 so no harm had been done so far4 ,it had been my constant wish1 despite all the warnings ,i had received1 to make friends with the ,yarmahommedzais4 ,but it was now time1 ,i considered1 to take some notice of ,shah ,sawar's activities1 and this seemed a suitable moment to charge him bluntly concerning his traffic with the ,germans4 ,accordingly he was summoned to appear before a drum-head court martial consisting of myself and two other officers1 to be tried for repeated acts of treachery1 and particularly for communication with the ,germans1 coupled with the information supplied to the same quarter that ,i had few troops1 and that1 if they 7the ,germans7 came to the ,sarhad it would be easy for them1 with his help1 to overwhelm my whole force4 ,as usual1 ,shah ,sawar swore he was innocent of all these charges and pointed out that it was obvious he could not possibly have been guilty1 as he could not write4 ,then ,i played a trump card1 for ,i produced the mullah 7priest7 who had written the letters at his dictation1 and who had wandered1 a day or so before1 into the camp4 ,when ,shah ,sawar caught sight of the mullah he shrugged his shoulders and muttered1 ,kismet4 ,he knew the game was up1 confessed at once that he had dictated the letters1 and had put his mark to them4 ,there was naturally only one sentence that could be passed upon him1 and he knew it4 ,he was found guilty and condemned to be shot4 ,he implored me to give him another chance1 but ,i was tired of his broken promises1 and told him flatly that he had offended once too often4 ,he had been convicted by a duly constituted court martial1 and the finding of the court must stand4 ,i told him also that his time was short1 and advised him to write any farewell messages he wanted to send1 and to make his will as quickly as possible4 ,the mullah was also given leave to write anything that ,shah ,sawar wished to dictate4 ,as ,i passed from the tent ,i gazed hard at ,shah ,sawar4 ,the sweat was pouring down his face--few men can hear the sentence of immediate death without emotion of some sort--but he did not utter a sound4 ,it must be admitted that he bore himself like a man1 as1 with a gesture of resignation1 he told the mullah he wanted him to start writing at once4 ,whilst he was writing out his last wishes1 ,i made my way to the ,durbar tent to wait until he had finished4 ,on my way ,i met ,idu and told him the result of the court martial4 ,idu had an uncanny gift of intuition and ,i am certain realised how much ,i disliked my obvious but uncongenial duty4 ,he looked at me strangely and then disappeared4 ,some little time later ,i was leaving the tent when ,i caught sight of the ,gul-,bibi1 ,shah ,sawar's wife1 dressed in her very best attire1 running towards me4 ,directly she reached me1 she fell on her knees and1 touching my feet with her hands1 broke into lamentations4 ,what is it8 ,i asked1 trying to speak sternly4 ,what have you to say8 ,the ,gul-,bibi had a great deal to say6 ,she said that ,idu had gone to her and told her of the sentence that had been passed on her husband and she had come to plead for his life4 ,she used every argument she could think of to persuade me to reverse the finding of the court1 and finally went bail in her own person for the future good behaviour of the handsome rascal1 if only he might have another chance4 ,i swear to you1 she said passionately1 that if ever my fool of a husband raises his hand against you again or breaks his word to you1 ,i will shoot him with my own hands4 ,i1 the ,gul-,bibi1 swear it4 ,it occurred to me that after all it might be politic to temper justice with mercy4 ,shah ,sawar undoubtedly had great influence and the concession of his life might be a turning-point in the determination of his tribe to be loyal to the ,british cause4 ,i said that she had accomplished what no one else could have done and that her eloquence had persuaded me to grant her her husband's life4 ,but this is the very last time ,i will show him any mercy4 ,shah ,sawar has proved himself a traitor and has broken his oath again and again4 ,i am only letting him go now on your guarantee of his good behaviour in the future4 ,if ever he breaks faith again1 it will be for the very last time4 ,you may go now and tell him what ,i have said and tell him that he owes his life entirely to you4 ,i directed her to the tent where she would find ,shah ,sawar waiting for death1 and presently she returned with her husband by her side4 ,he was obviously very subdued and very impressed4 ,his gratitude was genuine enough1 anyhow for the moment1 and once more he promised that he would never fight again--etc41 etc4 ,the next day a message was received from ,murad to the effect that he had collected a fine quantity of bhusa1 and that it was piled up in fourteen great stacks ready for transport1 if camels could be sent to fetch it4 ,word was sent back that ,i would go myself on the morrow to ,karsimabad with the camels1 and a small escort1 in order that it might be possible to thank and pay him in person4 ,accordingly orders were given for the escort and camels to be ready to start early the next morning4 ,but1 that night1 news was brought by one of ,landon's intelligence men which caused a modification of these plans4 ,it should here be mentioned that ,major ,landon had1 shortly before1 been obliged to leave me4 ,it will be remembered that he was one of but three ,intelligence ,officers in ,persia1 and had therefore to return to his duties4 ,his place as my ,brigade ,major had been taken by a very able ,staff ,officer1 ,major ,sanders of the #cfth ,sikhs4 ,the news the scout brought me was to the effect that ,jiand knew all about my proposed visit to ,karsimabad1 and was planning to attack in force1 and capture me4 ,he had been waiting for a good opportunity to lure me out of ,khwash1 and now felt he had his chance4 ,well1 he shall have it1 ,i replied4 ,only1 we will disappoint him4 ,for instead of going with only a small escort1 we'll take a good part of our entire army1 and the guns4 ,he'll then have his work cut out4 ,the consequence being that when we marched out on the following morning we made an imposing spectacle4 ,i determined to do the thing thoroughly1 so took a considerable number of infantry1 the cavalry1 guns and a large convoy of camels4 ,we had only marched a short distance when one of the scouts came in with the information that all the bhusa at ,karsimabad had been burned4 ,at first ,i could hardly believe my ears and told him he must be mistaken2 that perhaps some of it had been burned by accident1 but that fourteen stacks1 the number ,murad had mentioned as collected1 could not all have been burned by this means4 ,but the man proceeded to tell me that it was no accident4 ,he himself had seen the scorched ground upon which the stacks had stood4 ,they had been built sufficiently far apart to make it impossible to be burned by one setting light to another4 ,each stack had been separately and individually fired1 and ,murad had proof that it had been done by ,jiand's men4 ,as may be imagined1 ,i was nearly beside myself with rage at the news4 ,it would entail untold suffering amongst our unfortunate beasts1 who were already underfed4 ,the act was unforgivable1 especially when we were just hoping to obtain a safeguard against the worst months of the year4 ,the march of the column was immediately quickened4 ,there remained but one thing to do--to go forward and ascertain the truth4 ,if ,jiand had really been guilty of this act he should be accommodated as regards fighting4 ,so far everything possible had been done to create friendly relations with him1 and over and above this he had been1 throughout1 generously and leniently treated4 ,but patience has its limits1 and there could be no more leniency4 ,despite the burning heat we managed to cover the distance in record time1 and were within five miles of ,karsimabad when the advance guard reported the enemy in sight1 and in large numbers4 ,come out to capture me1 ,i suppose6 ,i remarked to ,sanders4 ,jiand is1 probably1 still under the impression that we are coming with only a small escort4 ,i wonder what he'll do when he sees the column--and the guns8 ,what he did do we were soon to know4 ,the old villain must have indulged in one short look to realise1 once again1 that he had been foiled in his attempt at a surprise2 for ,i knew1 by current rumour1 that he stood in deadly terror of what the guns could do4 ,he had certainly never seen them working1 but had heard the rattle of the ,maxims at ,koh-i-taftan1 and had a wholesome dread of their destructive possibilities4 ,when1 therefore1 the cavalry and the guns came into view1 instead of attacking1 he sent a messenger ahead to meet me1 and to ask whether he might come and do me honour6 ,tell him1 ,i replied1 still furiously angry1 that it is not a case of may he come--he must come himself and instantly4 ,i am in no playful mood as he will find to his cost4 ,a few minutes later we saw ,jiand1 accompanied by two or three men ambling towards us on his camel4 ,immediately on his arrival ,jiand assured me that1 hearing ,i was in the neighbourhood1 he had come with his followers to do me honour4 ,honour be damned6 ,i retorted4 ,what do you mean by burning the bhusa ,i have bought from ,murad8 ,was that also by way of doing me honour8 ,jiand protested his innocence4 ,was it possible that anything that belonged to the ,general ,sahib should1 or could1 be burned8 ,and how could he 7the ,general7 so wrong him 7,jiand7 as to suspect him of any such offence8 ,if the bhusa really was burned1 he swore that he was innocent1 and had had nothing to do with it4 ,we'll soon prove whether you had or not1 ,i returned4 ,i am on my way to ,karsimabad to inquire into it4 ,you will go there too1 and if ,i find you had a hand in it1 as ,i am convinced you had1 you shall regret it to your dying day4 ,go on in front of me1 and wait for me in ,karsimabad4 ,with a sullen face ,jiand obeyed1 and our own force continued its march4 ,arrived within three-quarters of a mile of ,murad's place we halted at what appeared to be a favourable place to camp4 ,this represented a hard flat piece of ground at the base of a small hill4 ,a picket on the hill-top would command the surrounding country and so prevent surprise4 ,the bulk of the force was left and ,i went forward with an escort of about a dozen infantrymen and some fifteen cavalrymen4 ,at the entrance to ,karsimabad ,i noticed a huge tree with a mud platform placed round its base1 close beside the ruins of a small fort4 ,this seemed to offer an ideal spot upon which to hold the inquiry1 for the tree afforded a wide circle of shade from the burning heat4 ,accordingly ,i sat down1 with ,sanders and the ,sarhad-dar on either side1 whilst the cavalry accompanying us dismounted and remained behind the tree4 ,the infantry-escort formed up on our right4 ,murad1 who appeared greatly distressed1 came forward and told me that all the bhusa he had collected for us had been burned down1 thus confirming the report ,i had already received4 ,who did it8 ,i thundered4 ,can you produce the man who dared to burn my property8 ,to my great surprise ,murad said he could4 ,he had captured the man1 a ,yarmahommedzai4 ,scarcely had the man been brought forward when1 from every quarter1 appeared men armed with rifles4 ,a moment before the place1 excepting for ourselves1 had been empty4 ,these men seemed to have sprung out of the ground1 but must1 actually1 have been concealed in the adjoining fields4 ,in an instant ,i could tell that they were picked men of ,jiand's lashkar4 ,there must have been between one hundred and fifty and two hundred of them4 ,they came forward and squatted down in a circle close in front of us2 ,jiand1 and his kinsman and evil genius1 a man named ,nur-,mahommed1 placing themselves well in the foreground4 ,in a flash ,i realised the tactical error ,i had made in leaving the main force three-quarters of a mile away1 and before ,i had made certain that ,jiand's men had not occupied ,karsimabad4 ,these men held their magazine rifles1 which were always loaded1 across their knees4 ,from where we sat1 ,i now realised1 and too late1 that ,i could not see1 or signal to1 my own small force1 and that1 except by a miracle1 it would be equally ignorant of these proceedings4 ,i glanced quickly behind me at the fifteen or sixteen cavalrymen ,i had brought1 saw that they had dismounted and were holding their lances in their hands1 whilst their rifles remained in the buckets on the off-sides of the horses4 ,a bad position for getting at them when dismounted and at a moment's notice4 ,it was obvious that ,i had allowed myself to be caught in a trap4 ,we all knew it1 though not one man with me showed it by the quiver of an eyelid4 ,i turned to the man whom ,murad had brought forward and placed before me as the burner of the stacks of straw4 ,how dare you burn my bhusa8 ,what reason had you for doing it1 and who told you to do it8 ,before the man1 who was trembling like a leaf1 had time to answer1 ,nur-,mahommed sprang up and shouted3 ,the country is ours and everything in it4 ,we will burn the bhusa1 or burn anything we like4 ,and he glared at ,sanders and myself in a way that left no doubt as to his meaning4 ,i told him angrily to sit down1 as ,i was not talking to him4 ,for answer he assumed a threatening attitude1 and openly sneered at me for attempting to give orders ,i could not enforce4 ,i ordered a sepoy to arrest him4 ,what followed all happened in a flash4 ,the sepoy had scarcely moved a step to obey when every one of ,jiand's men leapt to their feet and brought their rifles to the present4 ,i must confess to having acted automatically4 ,indeed1 there was no time to think or do otherwise4 ,i literally roared at them4 ,how dare you1 you dogs8 ,sit down this instant6 ,i reached out my hands towards ,jiand who was close to me1 and1 in a paroxysm of rage1 forced him down by my side4 ,sit down6 ,i roared again into the dark faces of the men surrounding us4 ,hesitation and doubt spread amongst that threatening crowd--and the bulk of them sat down6 ,they were now given no time to recover their poise4 ,sanders and the escort were at once ordered to disarm the men who remained standing4 ,like a flash my men darted forward1 only too thankful to take action instead of waiting to be shot down1 and in a twinkling had wrenched their rifles from the scowling brutes who were hesitating as to whether they would shoot first or submit4 ,they were looking to their ,chief for a lead4 ,but ,jiand1 that once invincible warrior1 had lost his nerve1 and now sat cowering1 unable either to make a decision or dominate his own men4 ,so1 whilst they stood1 furtive and undecided1 they were disarmed and left helpless4 ,now1 ,i shouted1 turning to those who had sat down1 get up and place your rifles against that wall1 there1 pointing to the wall of the mud fort4 ,and if there is the slightest sign of treachery ,i will shoot you down like the dogs you are4 ,like a lot of beaten sheep they got up and obeyed4 ,the danger was over before we had had time fully to realise it4 ,i then proceeded to tell the ,raiders what ,i thought of them in language which has since been reported as hectic4 ,they were told that their lives and their property had been spared again and again2 that over and over again their liberty had been given them when they should have been kept as prisoners4 ,but this time their offence was beyond forgiveness and they should now have a taste of the treatment they deserved4 ,i then ordered my escort to seize and tie the men together1 and drive them back to the camp4 ,a certain number of the ,yarmahommedzais leapt up at this1 and1 before they could be stopped1 had bolted into the high-grown crops surrounding the place4 ,but we caught a good sixty of them1 and these were bound by their hands in groups of three by their turbans4 ,they were then marched off to the main column1 which had remained in blissful ignorance of these happenings a short three-quarters of a mile away4 ,sanders and ,i remained where we were1 and a few minutes later the ,sarhad-dar returned1 wiping the sweat from his face4 ,that was a close shave1 ,sahib1 he said1 and ,i could see that his hands were shaking1 despite the fact that he had behaved with the utmost bravery during the crisis4 ,though so many got away1 amongst those we have captured are nearly all the leading men of the ,yarmahommedzais4 ,without them the tribe will be as men without leaders1 and we need not fear them4 ,i have searched and questioned some of them1 and ,i have indisputable proofs that they came to capture you4 ,they wanted you--alive1 not dead1 that they might be able to dictate their own terms4 ,well1 ,i said disgustedly1 ,i've had enough in the way of trying to make friends with them4 ,i know that both you and ,idu have advised all along that it would be of no use1 but ,i have hoped against hope4 ,now the ,indian ,government must deal with them1 and ,i shall advise the ,government that the best thing to do will be to send them to ,india and imprison them there4 ,the ,sarhad-dar replied1 with heartfelt relief1 ,i am thankful you have at last come to that decision4 ,it's the only chance of obtaining peace in the ,sarhad4 ,juma ,khan has already given ample proof of his loyalty1 and ,halil ,khan1 untrustworthy as he is1 would never dream of fighting the ,sirkar alone4 ,if ,i may advise ,i would suggest that whoever is ultimately set free ,nur-,mahommed is never liberated4 ,he is ,jiand's evil genius4 ,without him you might have won over ,jiand to real loyalty1 but so long as ,nur-,mahommed1 who is a devil1 is always whispering in his ear you can never trust ,jiand to keep any oath4 ,before we left ,karsimabad ,i paid ,murad some compensation for his straw1 for he had had the best intentions4 ,when we reached the main column1 which was now agog with curiosity1 ,i once again combed out our prisoners1 retaining some forty-three and letting the others go4 ,it must be remembered that we were desperately short of food ourselves and ,i did not want a single unnecessary mouth to feed4 ,but ,i was not going back to ,khwash without a supply of fodder for our animals4 ,i1 therefore1 told ,jiand that as he had burned the bhusa ,i had bought1 and had refused his own at the generous price offered1 ,i should now take his without payment4 ,so we made a dtour by way of ,kamalabad1 where my men immediately started hunting for straw and wheat4 ,we eventually found that the latter had been carefully hidden by ,jiand1 and in a highly ingenious way4 ,the wheat had been put into sacks1 and buried in the sand dunes4 ,the sand had then been carefully smoothed over1 leaving nothing to show that it had been disturbed4 ,but1 before our search1 ,i asked the ,sarhad-dar1 ,how on earth will the men find the sacks8 fearful lest1 after all1 ,jiand had foiled me4 ,they know how to find it1 he replied4 ,give them the order to search for it and you'll see what they'll do4 ,they know the trick well enough4 ,accordingly1 orders were issued to search for1 and carry off1 all the sacks of wheat and all bhusa that could be found4 ,in an instant they were at work amongst the sand dunes1 prodding in the sand with their cleaning rods4 ,every now and again a man would shout ,here6 and after a few minutes' digging a sack would be dragged to light4 ,it was immensely interesting to watch this unearthing of plunder1 and after a while ,i called ,give me a cleaning rod and let me try4 ,but ,i proved a hopeless exponent of the game4 ,prod as ,i would1 ,i could find nothing1 though the smiling ,rekis would prod where ,i had drawn blank and fish out several sacks4 ,this wheat was a great find1 and was loaded on to the camels with the greatest care4 ,from ,kamalabad ,i sent a couple of men ahead with messages to ,colonel ,claridge--who had remained behind in charge of ,khwash--telling him briefly what had happened1 and asking him to prepare a barbed wire cage for the prisoners now being brought in4 ,so promptly did he set to work that1 when we marched in next day1 there was ready as perfect a cage as any commander could wish to have4 ,we were given a great reception by the garrison1 delighted at the plunder we had brought4 ,the bhusa meant the saving of our animals1 and the wheat was invaluable to ourselves1 as our supply of flour had begun to run very short4 ,the wheat was given to the ladies of ,khwash to grind outside the camp4 ,these industrious females all possessed little stone hand-mills1 and1 for many days afterwards1 the air was filled with the sound of these at work4 ,these same ladies implored me to pay them in person for their work1 because1 they informed me1 their men-folk were not to be trusted4 ,it appeared on inquiry that when the men were paid they were apt to put the wages of their wives' labour into their own pockets4 ,so1 each afternoon1 for some days1 we had a pay-parade of ,khwashi ladies to receive in rupees the wages they had honestly earned4 ,while ,i was waiting for ,government instructions as to the disposal of our ,yarmahommedzai prisoners ,i made these work at strengthening the camp4 ,it was not easy to get much work out of them as they strongly resented being put to what they considered to be a degradation4 ,they maintained it to be a gross indignity for a fighting man to be made to work with his hands1 and contended that all manual labour should be performed by lower caste people such as the ,khwashis4 ,but honest work did not hurt them1 for1 during their imprisonment1 their health improved to a remarkable extent4 ,this result was probably due to the increased variety of their rations1 and to the vegetables grown in our new garden which they shared with the garrison4 ,,chapter ,x ,,failure ,,and ,,fresh ,,plans ,slave buying--,a diet discovery--,poetic justice--,disposition of prisoners--,incredible news--,the ,sawar's story--,disposal of forces--,the march to ,kamalabad--,jiand gains his freedom--,retreat to ,khwash4 ,whilst waiting instructions from the ,indian ,government as to the disposal of our ,sarhadi prisoners ,i turned my attention to the slave question4 ,this had long been one of my pre-occupations4 ,the chief trouble lay in the fact that not only the ,yarmahommedzais and the ,gamshadzais1 but also the friendly ,rekis--the men of ,idu's tribe--possessed large numbers of these unfortunate women and children4 ,the consequence was that1 when ,i announced that an order was about to be issued commanding the surrender of all slaves throughout the ,sarhad1 ,idu openly groused4 ,he pointed out that it would be a great hardship on his fellow-tribesmen4 ,many of them had not actually engaged in raids1 but had honourably bought1 and paid for1 the women from their captors1 and that1 in consequence1 they would not only be out of pocket to the extent of the purchase price but would1 also1 be without servants to do their menial work4 ,idu's point of view was clear enough1 but he was asked1 what about the unfortunate slaves8 ,the ,sarhad-dar backed me up for all he was worth1 and at last a compromise was made4 ,the order went forth that the slaves must all be liberated without question1 but that1 as the ,rekis had aided us in every possible way1 the ,government would purchase their slaves at the rate of three hundred rupees for a woman1 seventy-five for a girl1 and twenty-five for a boy4 ,in due course slaves began to arrive from every direction1 though undoubtedly the order was ignored in every instance where it was possible to do so4 ,at last1 in order to accelerate delivery1 it was necessary to promise to purchase all slaves1 no matter by whom owned4 ,from that moment it was astonishing how the number increased1 some arriving on camels1 others on foot4 ,the condition of these wretched women and children was pitiable in the extreme4 ,some of them were those whom ,izzat had captured during his recent big raid1 but the majority had been in captivity for many years and were in a wretched state1 half-starved1 half-naked1 and cowed1 as the outcome of evident ill-treatment4 ,many appeared to have lost all hope in life4 ,illustration3 ,,raided ,,slaves ,,on ,,the ,,way ,,to ,,their ,,homes4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,persian ,,girl ,,captured ,,by ,,juma ,,khan1 ,,and ,,who ,,escaped ,,to ,,khwash4 ,these poor folk were given quarters amongst the ,khwashis1 special jugis being set aside for them1 and were gradually restored to some semblance of civilised humanity4 ,white army drill and brightly coloured prints1 were requisitioned from ,kacha4 ,with these materials the ,khwashi ladies made garments for our enfranchised slaves4 ,it was pitiful to see their joy and gratitude when told that they were now free1 and would shortly be sent back to their own homes4 ,one of our new guests became a constant source of wonder to us all4 ,she was a fine1 well-grown1 attractive young woman of about nineteen or twenty1 and had been a captive in the hands of a ,gamshadzai ,chief4 ,when she heard of the order that all slaves were to be released she claimed her freedom1 and her right to go to the ,british ,general at ,khwash1 where safe asylum was offered to all ,persian slaves4 ,her ,gamshadzai master1 however1 had not the slightest intention of letting her go4 ,she was far too useful4 ,but this ,persian girl possessed both grit and powers of endurance4 ,one night she escaped in the darkness1 and1 though pursued for a long distance by her captor1 managed to elude him1 and made good her escape4 ,apparently she ran all through the night1 covering fully forty miles over rough precipitous hills and sandy plains4 ,it seemed an incredible feat--at first none of us believed the tale--but she provided such striking evidence of it that we had at last to believe her4 ,poor soul1 she was very dirty1 her feet were bare and her clothing torn to ribbons1 but in her pride and joy at being free once more1 she was a moving picture4 ,the emaciated condition of these slaves filled us all with commiseration1 and when it was commented upon amongst ourselves the ,sarhad-dar remarked grimly1 ,you can't have seen their staple food4 ,if you had1 you wouldn't wonder4 ,they carry it in those little bags they all bring in with them4 ,my curiosity was aroused and ,i asked some of the women to show me what was contained in those bags4 ,they promptly told me that they contained the only food they were allowed by their captors1 apart from any green stuff they were themselves able to gather wild on the hillsides4 ,some of the bags were then emptied1 and quantities of dried beetles were poured out on the ground4 ,incredible as it seems close inquiry confirmed their statement--that these dried beetles formed the greater part of their diet4 ,with this evidence one could no longer wonder that these poor creatures were in such a wretched1 cowed and hopeless state4 ,when as many slaves were collected as could be accommodated it became needful to send them off in order to make room for others1 and also to obviate the necessity of feeding them4 ,moreover1 now that this batch had begun to regain its humanity1 its members were very anxious to return to their own homes1 and when it was announced that we were going to repatriate them under escort they fell to laughing and crying with joy4 ,when they were told that this would be done under the charge of ,izzat--the ,yarmahommedzai who had captured so many of them--their joy was turned to dismay1 and they implored me not to trust them to his tender mercies1 but to send them with anyone else1 for he would surely take them back again into captivity4 ,i have decided on ,izzat1 ,i replied1 because he is a ,chief who has plenty of camels of his own for your transport1 and1 as he stole so many of you1 he will know exactly where to return you4 ,but you shall hear yourselves what ,i am going to say to him4 ,if1 then1 you are not satisfied1 ,i will choose someone else4 ,you shall decide for yourselves4 ,accordingly ,izzat was sent for1 and informed of this order4 ,i considered it a piece of poetic justice that he should be the one to restore the people whom he had stolen1 and whose lives he had ruined4 ,izzat listened grimly and ,i fancied ,i could detect in his dark eyes a hint of what he proposed doing when these women were once again in his power4 ,and1 ,i added quietly1 you will bring back and place in my hands a letter from every one of the women ,i put in your care4 ,i have the names of all of them written down4 ,these letters must be written individually by each woman after she has safely reached her own home1 and must also state that she has been well used on the way4 ,if there is lacking a letter from any single one of these women1 when you return to ,khwash1 ,i shall hang every member of your family on the tree under which ,i am now sitting1 and you will then be able to count their dead bodies for yourself4 ,they will remain in my charge during your absence4 ,izzat could see that ,i meant what ,i said4 ,sahib1 ,i am in your hands4 ,i will do whatever you say4 ,i then turned to the eager ,persian women4 ,you have heard what has been said4 ,you have listened to the conditions made1 and which ,izzat has accepted4 ,are you willing now to go with him8 ,they all assured me they were1 and a day or so later the cavalcade set out1 ,izzat taking sufficient camels to allow for the accommodation of all who were infirm and weak1 and for the fitter members to be able to ride turn and turn about1 also for the portage of sufficient food for their long trek of some one hundred and fifty miles into the ,narmashir4 ,as may be imagined it was a great relief to us all when we had seen them safely on their way4 ,i should here record the fact that1 in due course1 ,izzat returned1 bearing letters from every one of the slaves to the effect that they had safely arrived at their own homes4 ,he dared not risk the penalty he knew would have surely been exacted had he failed in his trust4 ,after some little delay ,i received from ,quetta an answer to my request for instructions as to the disposal of the ,sarhadi prisoners4 ,this answer directed that they should be sent straight to ,quetta1 a distance of something like four hundred and fifty miles4 ,naturally ,i had not sufficient troops to spare for an adequate escort on such a long march1 and sent an answer to that effect2 but1 at the same time1 suggested that if the ,government could arrange for escort1 by ,indian troops from ,saindak 7about nine marches from ,khwash71 ,i could arrange to police them that distance4 ,after waiting another two weeks1 word came that three hundred of the #ajfth ,hazara ,pioneers would be sent to ,saindak to take them over1 and ,i was requested to send the prisoners there1 under escort1 without delay4 ,i was also informed that a wireless troop was immediately being dispatched to ,khwash1 the purpose being to open up easier communication with ,india4 ,at this period the only method of such communication was by wire from ,robat1 or ,kacha1 to ,quetta1 and camel messengers had then to be employed to take messages from ,robat1 or ,kacha1 to ,khwash1 a not always reliable1 and often lengthy1 proceeding4 ,accordingly1 when ,i knew the exact date of the ,hazaras' arrival at ,saindak1 ,i made my own dispositions for sending the ,sarhadi prisoners there4 ,it should be clearly understood that the whole of the rough1 roadless district lying between these two places was over-run by the enemy1 and1 moreover1 an enemy deeply resentful of the fact that so many of their ,chiefs were in our hands4 ,it must be remembered1 too1 that our numbers were1 compared with theirs1 ludicrously small4 ,we calculated1 however1 and reasonably ,i think1 on the unlikelihood of an attack by the ,yarmahommedzais on the column1 owing to the presence of the more important prisoners1 whose lives they would not dare to endanger4 ,it was1 therefore1 thought absolutely safe for the wireless troop1 who would be accompanied by a small escort only1 to come through to us at the same time as1 and on a parallel route to1 that of the prisoners1 though the two parties were marching in opposite directions4 ,the wireless troop had orders to come ,south along the ,eastern slopes of the ,koh-i-taftan1 and the prisoners were to be marched ,north over the ,western slopes of the same peak4 ,i decided also to send as large an escort as possible with the prisoners1 my object being to ensure against any contretemps prior to their receipt by the ,hazaras--a magnificent type of fighting man--for conduct to ,india4 ,i also had another reason1 for ,i had been warned1 by repeated rumour1 that ,halil ,khan was then occupied in gathering his entire forces together for the rescue of ,jiand and his men whilst being marched northward to ,saindak4 ,our own garrison was1 therefore1 practically reduced to a skeleton1 whilst a force consisting of three troops of cavalry1 seventy-five infantry 7about three-fourths of our total numbers7 and two maxims1 under the command of two white officers1 was detached for escort duties4 ,this column started early one morning in ,july1 and was to march eighteen miles on the first day4 ,illustration3 ,,captured ,,raiders ,,on ,,the ,,way ,,to ,,kacha4 ,that same night1 or rather early on the following morning1 for it was about two a4m41 ,i was awakened in my tent and informed that a sawar had just arrived with an urgent message for me4 ,a moment later one of the cavalrymen composing the escort1 which had started so gaily about twenty hours before1 came in1 breathing quickly and heavily with the speed at which he had ridden4 ,he told me that he had ridden as he had never ridden before to bring me a message from the officer commanding the prisoners' escort4 ,it was to the effect that every one of the prisoners1 save ,jiand and one of his sons1 had escaped in the darkness1 and that he awaited further orders in the circumstances4 ,for a moment ,i thought ,i was still asleep and dreaming4 ,how could it be possible that forty-five unarmed men had succeeded in escaping from an armed1 and numerically larger1 escort8 ,but the stark truth was at last forced upon me1 and it amounted to nothing short of absolute disaster4 ,the whole of my four months' work had been undone in a few hours1 and ,i was confronted with the knowledge that ,i should now have to make a humiliating confession of utter failure1 and at the very moment when the work ,i had been sent to do seemed so nearly and successfully finished4 ,the situation resolved itself into this2 not only would it now be impossible to hand over our enemy and ringleaders to the large armed escort now on its way1 and especially detailed to receive them1 but these escaped ,chiefs would be able to reorganise and hearten up their people1 who had remained quiet during the past few weeks simply because they had been without their leadership4 ,these same ,chiefs1 of course1 knew to a man the strength of our force1 and were naturally bitter with resentment as an outcome of their recent captivity4 ,they would1 ,i knew1 now leave no stone unturned in their endeavour to wipe us out4 ,my feelings can be better imagined than described4 ,the ,sawar was questioned closely as to this disastrous affair1 and ,i obtained the following details4 ,the escort had pitched its camp before sundown on an open hillside4 ,an enclosure1 or sort of rough zareba1 had been constructed with a few strands of barbed wire1 and the prisoners1 with the exception of ,jiand and his son1 had been placed inside1 and sentries set over them4 ,jiand and his son had been kept apart1 in a small jugi1 with a sentry in front of it4 ,it was a very dark1 quiet night1 and the camp had soon settled down to sleep4 ,suddenly1 strange stealthy sounds had been heard close to the zareba1 and the sentries had fired wildly into the darkness4 ,instantly the whole camp had been roused1 and the officers had rushed to the prisoners' quarters4 ,lamps were brought1 and it was quickly found that the zareba was empty4 ,what had happened seemed fairly obvious4 ,the prisoners had evidently taken off all their clothes and flung the heavier garments over the barbed wire4 ,this done1 and acting in consort1 they had broken or borne it down by sheer weight4 ,in any case the whole lot of them had escaped1 absolutely naked1 leaving their clothes behind on the barbed wire6 ,of course an immediate search was instituted1 but the ,raiders had escaped into the rough1 broken hills during the few minutes succeeding the alarm1 and not a single one was re-taken4 ,the only prisoners now left in our hands were ,jiand and his son4 ,after such a set-back a man may be pardoned for being at his wits' end4 ,not only did it spell failure to keep faith with the ,indian ,government in regard to the prisoners1 but it became plain that the wireless troop1 whose safe passage ,i had practically guaranteed1 was now in peril2 for they would1 almost certainly1 be attacked1 as they must by this time be right in the heart of the enemy territory1 whose fighting men would now be elated beyond bounds at their successful coup4 ,i quickly realised that we must act without an instant's delay4 ,we must first rescue that wireless troop with its small escort at any cost4 ,the best thing to be done at the moment was to order the prisoners' escort--who now had no one to escort6 except ,jiand and his son--to proceed instantly in the direction along which the wireless troop was coming1 whilst ,sanders and myself1 with every man we could collect after leaving some sort of garrison for ,khwash--goodness knows we were few enough already6--set out to join up with the escort1 which would have to march due ,east that day4 ,i could then take some of the men forming that escort and go in the direction of ,kamalabad with the object of holding off the ,gamshadzais under ,halil ,khan2 ,i was convinced they would now1 without question1 put into execution the threat they had so repeatedly made of trying to rescue ,jiand4 ,as will be seen my objective was the ,kamalabad valley1 where ,i should at least have a better chance of holding them up than elsewhere4 ,the messenger was thereupon directed to return at once to the officer commanding the escort1 with a letter directing the new move and telling him at what point ,i would intersect his march that evening4 ,as soon as he had been dispatched a servant was sent to awaken ,sanders1 ,idu and the ,sarhad-dar1 and summon them immediately to my tent4 ,when they were told the bad news their dismay was fully equal to mine4 ,the ,sarhad-dar seemed to think the world had come to an end4 ,the situation was in any case quite black enough1 and it was a very depressed little party that an hour later set out from the camp4 ,it was not until well on into the evening that the force composing the prisoners' escort joined us at the appointed rendezvous1 but when it did ,i proceeded to re-arrange the composition of units without delay4 ,i took twenty-five cavalry1 some fifty of the infantry1 also the two machine guns1 and ordered the officer commanding1 who was desperately downcast at the disaster1 to march at top speed with the force left him in the direction along which the wireless troop must now be coming4 ,his further orders1 on getting in touch1 were to tell them what had happened1 and1 as ,i did not now consider it safe for them to come at present to ,khwash1 to go back with him to ,saindak1 where he was to hand over ,jiand and his son to the ,hazaras now waiting to receive them4 ,he was further instructed to say that ,i was marching in another direction1 towards ,kamalabad1 in an endeavour to hold up ,halil ,khan and the ,gamshadzais1 who1 according to rumours reaching us that evening1 were on their way in great force to ,gusht1 at the end of the ,kamalabad valley4 ,my little force started then and there1 marching a distance of about twelve miles through the night1 and reached ,kamalabad before daybreak4 ,it must be remembered that campaigning under conditions obtaining in a district such as the ,sarhad is utterly different from that of any other type of warfare4 ,amongst my own little force1 and especially amongst the camp followers1 were both friends and potential foes1 traitors and spies4 ,in addition to this the whole population of the country was its fighting force1 nearly every man being armed and trained to fight4 ,rumour1 and news carried by runners1 take the place of the dispatches and newspapers of the ,west1 the consequence being that one's movements are conveyed from mouth to mouth immediately upon that movement taking place4 ,this fact will in itself account for our being able to hear such constant and detailed news of both the enemy's movements and intentions--and vice versa4 ,no sooner had we reached ,kamalabad than we learned that ,halil ,khan had just been there1 but had taken to the ,morpeish ,hills as we approached4 ,he had every intention of fighting1 but wanted to do it on ground of his own choice4 ,in any case he did not want to fight in the open1 where our ,maxim guns would undoubtedly have given us a great advantage4 ,it was a great relief to hear this1 for it meant that we had intercepted him1 and now stood between him and the escort with ,jiand4 ,it meant in effect that he could not attack it without first meeting and defeating us4 ,jiand and his son at any rate--and1 after all1 ,jiand was the supreme ,chief--would now be safely handed over at ,saindak4 ,but my satisfaction on this point was very short lived4 ,soon after reaching ,kamalabad another messenger1 sent off post-haste by the officer in charge of the escort1 arrived with the news that they had been attacked in force1 and that ,jiand and his son had been rescued6 ,i questioned the man closely as to what had happened1 and discovered that ,jiand and his son had been actually snatched from the very hands of their gaolers4 ,the fight had been a long and hard one2 many men on our side had been killed1 both the ,british officers wounded1 and many rifles and much ammunition captured4 ,it seemed that the whole force might have been annihilated but for the opportune arrival on the scene of the wireless troop with their escort4 ,the ,yarmahommedzais evidently thought this troop the advance guard of reinforcements and retired1 taking ,jiand and his son with them4 ,i learned later that the rescue party consisted of nineteen of the very men who had escaped from the prisoners' escort two nights before4 ,it appears that they had run all the way to ,kamalabad naked1 had clothed and re-armed themselves1 and had gone back to rescue their ,chief4 ,one could not but admire such a magnificent feat of daring and endurance1 even though it added enormously to the difficulties of our own position4 ,the ,gamshadzais1 in all probability1 already knew what had happened4 ,they would also know that ,i had brought only a very small detachment to ,kamalabad1 that merely a beaten remnant of the escort1 now without ,british officers1 was left on the slopes of the ,koh-i-taftan1 and that there was a still smaller force in ,khwash4 ,it was obviously hopeless now to attempt to fight where we were4 ,it was equally obvious that our best course would be to get back to ,khwash with all speed4 ,khwash still remained a dominating factor1 and was still in our hands4 ,from that vantage point it might yet be possible to collect our scattered forces1 and obtain reinforcements4 ,flushed with victory1 and elated at his escape1 ,jiand would also remember the importance of ,khwash1 and would doubtless soon be on his way thither1 if1 indeed1 he was not already marching upon it4 ,so1 once again1 it was to be a race between us for the capital of the ,sarhad4 ,and1 as on that former occasion of a few months ago1 we won the race1 but our return was a very different affair to that of our previous triumphant entry4 ,illustration3 ,sketch ,map illustrating the march to ,khwash and the fighting in the ,morpeish ,hills4 ,,chapter ,,xi ,,success ,,in ,,miniature ,the night attack--,the ,hazaras arrive--,jiand retires--,we march on the ,sar-i-drokan valley--,cavalry strategy--,gushti's decision and opinion--,the ,hole of ,judgment--,attack and retirement--,a lost and regained water-supply--,the ,sarhadis as humorists--,the mud fort--,halil ,khan's arrival--,the fight at dawn--,exit ,halil ,khan--,a prophet--,the ,hazaras' request4 ,immediately on re-entering ,khwash ,colonel ,claridge was sent out1 with all the men it was possible to spare1 in an endeavour to find1 and bring back1 the strayed remnants of the prisoners' escort4 ,in the meantime a camel messenger was dispatched to ,saindak asking the ,o4,c4 of the ,hazaras to march ,south to our help at once1 and to take a route by which they might1 with luck1 join up with ,colonel ,claridge4 ,a messenger was also dispatched to ,colonel ,dale1 then commanding at ,kacha1 requesting him to send us all the supplies and ammunition he could spare1 and personally to do his utmost to expedite the ,hazaras1 who were also in his immediate sphere of command4 ,hardly had ,colonel ,claridge and his small detachment left ,khwash when ,jiand1 with a large force1 took up his position among the low hills about three miles to the ,north-,east of the town1 and ,shah ,sawar1 who1 as ,i might have expected1 was now in full and open revolt1 worried us from the hills to the ,south-,west4 ,but we were not going to admit yet that we were beaten4 ,daily we left the camp for the open as a challenge to ,jiand to come out of his hills and fight1 though it must be confessed that we hoped he would not accept it4 ,at last1 after a good deal of apparent indecision1 the two ,chiefs made up their minds to attack us1 and by night4 ,i must explain that in order1 as far as possible1 to deceive the enemy as to our numbers--or rather lack of them--the whole of our newly entrenched camp remained occupied by day2 nor did we spare any device likely to give the impression of a larger garrison4 ,but at night the men were withdrawn to a small1 strongly fortified sector of the camp1 so as to consolidate our strength4 ,one of our ,maxims had been placed in this sector1 the other on the only tourelle left standing1 and trained on the camp4 ,as we were always expecting a night attack1 we were thus well prepared for it when it came4 ,jiand made his at the ,north-,east and ,shah ,sawar at the ,south-,west angles of the camp3 and when the presence of large numbers of the enemy became apparent round these areas1 our men started to shoot wildly1 but were quickly steadied1 and ordered to hold fire4 ,the whole of our depositions had been made with the object of allowing the enemy1 if the attack came by night1 actually to enter the camp1 and so enable us to deal with them in denser formation4 ,the outer defences were rushed1 and from the temporary pause that occurred it was clear that the enemy was surprised at finding no defence4 ,this was of course the vital moment at which to let them know we were alive4 ,from my position in the defensive section of the camp ,i had had a telephone line laid to the tourelle4 ,it was1 therefore1 possible to order the two ,maxims to open simultaneous fire1 and1 at the same time1 a heavy rifle fire right into the heart of those undefended sectors4 ,the enemy recognised that a night surprise had failed1 and were evidently not inclined to continue the fight under conditions so very unfavourable to themselves1 so beat a hasty retreat4 ,the night was very dark1 and so the results of our fire were not observable4 ,rumour said that the enemy had suffered heavily in dead and wounded1 but they must have removed their casualties as there was nothing to be seen in the morning4 ,the results were all ,i desired1 as we were not attacked again4 ,three or four days later we were much elated to learn that a junction had been effected between ,colonel ,claridge1 the remnant of the prisoners' escort1 and the three hundred men of the #ajfth ,hazara ,pioneers under ,major ,lang4 ,the same information showed that they were marching together1 as quickly as possible1 on ,khwash1 and would probably be in that day4 ,this was good news indeed4 ,when they did arrive my spirits rose higher still4 ,the ,hazaras were a splendid body of men1 all spoiling for a fight1 and ,i promptly arranged that they should have it4 ,it will be remembered that the ,hazaras are ,shiahs1 hence their eagerness to blot out as many of the ,sunni ,sarhadis1 per man1 as they could manage4 ,directly ,jiand became aware of their arrival he realised that it would be simply waste of time to remain in the neighbourhood of ,khwash4 ,he had now not the slightest hope of capturing it1 so withdrew1 with all his forces1 to the ,sar-i-drokan valley1 which1 it will be remembered1 was his ,summer haunt4 ,this valley lies parallel with the ,kamalabad valley1 but on the farther side of the ,morpeish ,hills1 and is bounded on its ,northern side by the ,sar-i-drokan ,range4 ,it seemed now that there might be a good chance of fighting ,jiand with real hope of success1 and with the elimination of bluff1 upon which it would no longer be of any use to rely4 ,could we but defeat him in a square and open fight our past failures would be amply avenged1 and ,british prestige again in the ascendant4 ,illustration3 ,,on ,,the ,,march ,,towards ,,gusht ,,and ,,the ,,morpeish ,,hills4 ,so1 with this object in view1 messages were sent telling him to look to himself1 for we were coming1 not only to fight him1 but to lift all his herds4 ,jiand replied with the defiant message that he was quite ready for us1 and that he knew how to defend his herds1 as well as his men1 from all comers4 ,the ,hazaras were given a couple of days' rest after their long1 rapid march1 and we then set out4 ,the combined force now consisted of the three hundred ,hazaras1 a squadron of cavalry1 two mountain and two machine guns and some ,rekis4 ,the remnant of our original force and two machine guns were left in ,khwash1 under the command of ,colonel ,claridge4 ,the ,british officers with me were ,major ,sanders 7,brigade ,major71 ,major ,lang1 ,captain ,moore-,lane1 ,lieutenant ,bream of the ,hazaras1 ,lieutenant ,english with the guns1 and ,captain ,brownlow in command of the cavalry4 ,we started on a scorching hot day1 the #bhth of ,july1 with ,jiand's herds in the valley of the ,sar-i-drokan as objective4 ,there were two ways of entering this valley1 which is about seventy-five miles long1 more or less closed at either end by a bottle-neck formation of hills1 and protected along the whole length of its sides1 as already described1 by the precipitous ,morpeish and ,sar-i-drokan ,ranges4 ,we fully realised that the entry to this valley would1 in all probability1 be a tough proposition1 as the entrances could be easily defended1 and would therefore be hard to force4 ,the ,north-,western gorge1 one of the two by which the valley could be entered1 was called the ,dast-,kird1 and was very narrow4 ,jiand could1 therefore1 easily hold us in this direction4 ,for1 in an attack upon it1 cavalry would only be an incumbrance1 and1 owing to the perpendicular sides of the gorge1 and to the curious convexities of the hill-sides which obscured the view from below1 the guns would fail in their proper sphere of usefulness4 ,yet it would be necessary to enter the valley by that gorge1 or by the alternative one at the ,south-,eastern end1 and close to a place called ,gusht4 ,but this second gorge was almost as difficult of access1 if defended1 as that of the ,dast-,kird4 ,it will be well to explain also that here1 in the ,sarhad1 victory is attained more by the number of ramas--herds of goats and sheep--captured than by the number of men killed4 ,it will be seen1 therefore1 that if we were to claim1 and to be accredited with1 a victory over ,jiand1 it became essential to capture the whole1 or the greater part1 of his herds4 ,this we well knew would be a difficult matter1 but it would have to be done1 despite ,idu's doubts on the point4 ,if you try to go in by the ,dast-,kird1 ,sahib1 ,jiand will send his herds out by ,gusht4 ,if1 on the other hand1 you try to enter by ,gusht1 it will probably be fatal4 ,not only will ,jiand send his herds out by the ,dast-,kird1 but as ,gusht stands on the border of ,halil ,khan's territory he also will doubtless take you on1 whilst it will only be a comparatively short distance for ,jiand to make his dash through the ,dast-,kird and so down to ,khwash4 ,while he is attacking the few men you have left in ,khwash1 you will be left at ,gusht with ,halil ,khan guarding the defile6 ,for once ,idu had become a croaker1 but we were not in the mood to listen to him4 ,we camped out in the open1 but under the lea of the ,morpeish ,hills1 and from out of those hills we knew that hundreds of eyes were watching our every movement4 ,at this stage ,i sent for ,captain ,brownlow and ordered him to march with the cavalry1 while it was still light1 for several miles in the direction of the ,dast-,kird1 at the same time making as big a display as he could2 but1 when night fell1 to rejoin us as quickly and noiselessly as possible4 ,this little piece of strategy will be plain to the reader4 ,when the enemy saw our cavalry1 apparently going in the direction of the ,dast-,kird1 he would conclude that we intended to attack at that point4 ,jiand would1 therefore1 concentrate in that direction to defend the pass1 and to prepare the ground for battle on the morrow4 ,we1 meantime1 would be marching with all speed in the opposite direction--towards ,gusht4 ,accordingly1 ,captain ,brownlow1 making a fine show with his cavalry1 set out towards the ,dast-,kird1 and continued in that direction till night-fall4 ,but he went one better than his instructions4 ,he found and collected a quantity of dried-up scrub1 and this he set fire to in patches1 to give the impression that our whole force was camping there on its way to the ,dast-,kird4 ,this done he returned to camp under cover of darkness4 ,jiand fell into the trap4 ,warned by his scouts of what they imagined to be taking place he moved off with his force of something between one thousand and fifteen hundred fighting men1 and actually marched all night towards the ,dast-,kird4 ,to safeguard his herds he sent them off in the opposite direction1 towards ,gusht4 ,the position now amounted to this4 ,jiand's herds1 on the farther side of the ,morpeish ,hills1 and ourselves on the near side1 were hurrying as fast as we could towards the ,gusht defile1 whilst ,jiand and his men were hastening in the opposite direction--towards ,dast-,kird4 ,thus it was that1 by the time ,jiand realised the trick that had been played upon him1 we had gained a full two marches in the race for the defile4 ,gusht--the town mentioned as being just outside the gorge of the same name--belonged to a ,raider ,chief with a name so difficult to pronounce that ,i never achieved it1 and so was forced to call him ,gushti4 ,the name has stuck to him ,i believe ever since4 ,this ,raider was at the head of about two hundred fighting men1 and claimed to be a complete free lance1 and to owe allegiance neither to ,jiand1 ,halil ,khan1 nor anyone else4 ,gusht boasted a mud fort of some size1 and from this stronghold ,gushti raided at will4 ,i had been told that ,gushti was prepared to join any force--as a free lance--if bent on an expedition which appealed to his taste4 ,we were1 in consequence1 up against the fact that1 if ,jiand reached ,gusht first1 ,gushti would undoubtedly be persuaded to join him4 ,on the other hand1 if we were first on the spot1 it might be possible to bribe him into throwing in his lot with us4 ,the distance between ,kamalabad1 where we had first camped1 and ,gusht is about sixty miles1 and the distance between ,kamalabad and ,dast-,kird is approximately fifteen miles4 ,it will be understood1 then1 that while ,jiand was marching the fifteen miles between ,kamalabad and ,dast-,kird we were moving fifteen miles in the opposite direction4 ,when1 therefore1 he learned the truth as to the position1 we were thirty miles ahead of him--a useful start4 ,on learning his error ,jiand turned and came hot-foot in pursuit of us along the farther slopes of the hills4 ,and such good progress did he make1 despite the difficulties of the ground1 that he came very near to overtaking us1 though1 fortunately1 not quite4 ,the prize offered for the race was a big one1 the unopposed passage of the ,gusht defile1 plus the active1 or passive1 assistance of ,gushti4 ,on the third day's march we approached1 and deployed our force to give it as big a frontage as possible4 ,this was done to impress ,gushti4 ,as usual1 we had sent messengers on ahead4 ,these invited ,gushti to join us1 and pointed out the uselessness of opposition as ,jiand was hopelessly behind1 and promised large rewards if he decided to join us of his own free will4 ,when we arrived ,gushti came out to meet us1 all smiles and pleasantness1 and assured me that he had not the slightest idea of opposing us1 but that he would prefer not to fight against his old friend ,halil ,khan4 ,he undoubtedly held him in wholesome dread4 ,he also warned me that we were in for a big thing if we really meant fighting4 ,jiand might be behind1 but not so very far1 for1 as usual1 news of our proceedings had spread ahead of us4 ,jiand1 he continued1 with a very large force1 was close on our heels1 though on the other side of the range2 whilst the ,gamshadzais1 under ,halil ,khan1 were gathered in large numbers on the ,southern slopes of the ,safed-koh--about two marches away to the ,north of the ,gusht defile--and were ready to attack us at any moment4 ,he admitted1 however1 that we had gained one great advantage1 namely an unopposed passage through the defile4 ,we spent a very short time in ,gusht1 which boasted a considerable number of mud huts1 as well as the fort already mentioned4 ,there were also several karezes1 and a fair number of date palms dotted about1 which gave a picturesque appearance to the place4 ,in addition1 there was a spring which ,gushti insisted on our seeing1 and which was supposed to possess extraordinary qualities4 ,this spring gushes out of the top of a dome-shaped rock1 and close beside it1 also in the rock1 is a hole called ,the ,hole of ,judgment4 ,if a man has been accused of wrongdoing1 and is brought to this hole1 a sure test of his innocence or guilt can be obtained4 ,if1 on thrusting his hand into the hole1 he is able to draw it out again1 he is innocent4 ,if he cannot perform the feat he is guilty4 ,this appears to be an unfailing method of obtaining absolution for their sins4 ,we passed through the defile that evening1 though we had already had a long march1 for ,i did not want to risk losing the advantage we had gained4 ,once through the neck we debouched into comparatively open ground1 and1 after continuing our march for some three miles1 halted and encamped by the side of a fine kareze4 ,that same night ,jiand arrived at a point only five miles distant4 ,we had not1 therefore1 won the race with much to spare4 ,later information showed that he had travelled night and day1 and was deeply depressed to find that1 owing to his initial mistake1 we had passed1 unopposed1 what should have been a formidable barrier4 ,the next morning we advanced about three miles along the valley1 subject to a certain amount of sniping which grew worse as we proceeded4 ,we encamped in a strong position by a spring4 ,we were fully aware that1 at any moment1 the ,yarmahommedzais in front of us might join hands with the ,gamshadzais4 ,their combined forces would then number anything between two thousand to two thousand five hundred men4 ,we now learned that a large number of the ,gamshadzai herds had been sent to a place called ,makn-tuk in the ,safed-koh hills beyond the ,saragan defile4 ,i decided to attack in the direction of ,makn-tuk4 ,accordingly1 at about five o'clock on the following morning1 we attacked the ,gamshadzais' position by the ,saragan defile1 but at the outset the opposition proved far greater than we had anticipated1 and1 though this attack was pushed till eleven o'clock1 the main body had then only advanced about half a mile4 ,i then realised that it would be futile to hope to push on to ,makn-tuk1 and1 much against my will1 withdrew the scattered forces1 some of which were already engaged far up on the hill-sides4 ,with the help of covering fire from the ,maxim and mountain guns1 we withdrew with comparatively small loss to our last camping ground4 ,the ,hazaras were very disappointed at this order to retire1 for they declared that1 had they been allowed to advance1 they would1 most certainly1 have succeeded in knocking out the opposition and winning through to ,makn-tuk4 ,but during our passage through that region at a later date these fire-eaters were better able to gauge the extraordinary difficulty of the terrain1 and had to admit that it would have been impossible to fight a way through4 ,in the meantime a body of the enemy had moved down from the hills1 and had cut off our only available water supply by capturing the picket-post guarding the spring before mentioned4 ,this was serious and ,i immediately rode forward with an escort of about a dozen cavalrymen4 ,but we had not proceeded far when1 quite suddenly1 a heavy fire was opened on us from the hills4 ,fortunately no one was hit1 but it was a miraculous escape1 for the ground around us was literally ploughed up with bullets4 ,we dismounted1 attacked and regained the picket-post4 ,as ,brownlow and ,i entered the sangar ,i noticed1 on the ground at my feet1 one of my own cigarette boxes1 which had been taken by the ,raiders when they captured my kit on its way from ,nushki to ,robat4 ,the dozen ,sawars were now left to defend the spring1 at any cost1 and ,brownlow and ,i returned to the main body1 meeting on the way the ,sarhad-dar1 with some of the ,rekis1 who were coming to our assistance4 ,however1 the danger was over for the moment4 ,the ,rekis solemnly assured me that ,i must be tir-band 7immune from fire74 ,they had watched the hail of bullets from the hills spattering around us1 and could yet hardly believe we had none of us been hit4 ,i had already found by experience that it was always wise to take advantage of little superstitious suggestions of this sort1 so solemnly replied that it was a well-known fact that ,i was tir-band6 ,we had now seen enough of the enemy's ways and methods to realise his inclination to waste a great deal of invaluable ammunition at long ranges4 ,we1 therefore1 decided upon what seemed a wise course of action4 ,realising that to attack him in the hills would be too expensive we would remain down in the open1 anyhow for a few days1 draw his fire1 and give him a good opportunity of eating up his limited food supply4 ,we had food for a month1 and knew that he had only sufficient to last four or five days4 ,accordingly we camped where we were for that night1 and on the following morning moved a little farther back towards the ,gusht gorge1 taking up the position upon which we had camped when first entering the valley4 ,on that short rearward march we were fired at continuously1 first at long range1 and then1 as the enemy grew bolder1 at close quarters4 ,we could distinctly hear them shouting as they came1 crouching low amongst the rocks and scrub of the hill-sides4 ,they were humorists1 too1 these ,sarhadis1 for1 between the shouts1 we could catch a very passable imitation of the rat-a-tat-tat noise of our machine guns4 ,they came1 at last1 near enough to shout at me1 directly and personally1 calling on me to surrender2 promising if ,i did so to spare my life1 and also informing me that it was no good trying to fight any longer as ,i was practically surrounded1 and my retreat cut off4 ,they used the selfsame expressions ,i had so often used when summoning them to surrender4 ,this was turning the tables with a vengeance6 ,but we quickly saw that their boast as to having cut our retreat was not altogether an idle one4 ,they had1 at this stage1 actually occupied a little mud fort crowning a small hillock4 ,this hillock lay like an island in the bottom of the valley1 and commanded the camping ground we were making for4 ,the ,raiders could be plainly seen shooting at us through the loop-holes1 but1 unfortunately for them1 ,lieutenant ,english promptly trained one of his mountain guns on the fort4 ,the first round fired hit its mark1 burst inside1 and raised a huge cloud of dust4 ,its disconcerted occupants promptly bolted1 and the way to our camping ground lay open4 ,here it was possible to place the whole force in comparative safety1 partly owing to the cover afforded by the hillock with the mud fort on its summit1 and in a greater measure to the very convex slopes of the hills to the ,north1 which gave us complete shelter from snipers' bullets4 ,our only vulnerable point was from behind4 ,if the enemy collected in the low hills running out from the sides of the gorge it would be possible to rush us in the darkness4 ,it was in that direction1 accordingly1 that we must look out for trouble4 ,with the idea of guarding against this ,i asked ,gushti to supply me with a couple of men who knew the country well1 and were able to find their way amongst the hills by night4 ,i then waited till it was quite dark before sending out two strong pickets1 each consisting of fifty men1 under the guidance of ,gushti's men1 to occupy two of the low hills which ,sanders and ,i had carefully noted whilst the daylight lasted4 ,these commanded the ground over which the attack would most likely come4 ,we now fully realised that we were in a very tight corner1 and that there was nothing to be done but to stay and fight it out4 ,that night ,halil ,khan himself arrived with reinforcements from ,jalk1 and went straight to ,jiand and his ,yarmahommedzais4 ,he harangued them on their lack of enterprise in not having already defeated my force and made me a prisoner4 ,he told the tribesmen that they vastly outnumbered my men and suggested that1 if ,jiand had lost his nerve1 they had better serve1 for the time being1 under his leadership1 when they would soon see how to capture the ,sahib's forces4 ,the outcome of this forceful personality's action was that ,jiand1 old and now very weary1 consented to waive his leadership in ,halil ,khan's favour--for the time being4 ,illustration3 ,,hazaras ,,on ,a ,,picket ,,post ,,below ,,which ,,halil ,,khan ,,was ,,killed4 ,so sure seems ,halil ,khan to have been of his ultimate and complete victory over us on the morrow that he actually sent a messenger off1 that night1 to the ,khan of ,bampur1 telling him that the ,british ,general1 who had caused so much trouble1 was already a captive1 and that hundreds of his men had been killed4 ,he also wound up this premature message by inviting the ,khan to come and share the loot4 ,he then left ,jiand's camp1 taking with him ,jiand's men1 marched right round our position to our rear1 and occupied a long1 deep hollow between the two very low hills on which the pickets had been posted1 but whose presence was absolutely unsuspected1 as they had got there noiselessly in the darkness4 ,from this hollow an easy advance on our camp could be made1 and ,halil ,khan's intention had been1 with the dawn1 to rush us1 and by sheer weight of numbers1 overwhelm us4 ,but just before dawn one of those insignificant accidents occurred upon which great things so often depend4 ,as ,halil ,khan made ready for the attack1 which ,i heard later was timed to take place during the next ten minutes1 the rifle of one of his men went off by accident4 ,i distinctly heard the shot1 and have since been told that ,i rushed out of my tent shouting1 ,the ,lord has delivered them into our hands6 ,i am perfectly certain ,i never said any such thing1 though ,i may have exclaimed1 ,we've got em6 ,in an instant a roar of musketry broke out from the hills on both sides1 for the shot had alarmed the pickets1 and they were firing down into the hollow from whence the sound had come4 ,light was beginning to break1 and it was then just sufficient to see by1 dimly and uncertainly4 ,in any case ,i knew ,i had got my chance4 ,instant orders were given that every man in camp should reinforce the pickets4 ,it soon became apparent that ,halil ,khan1 ignorant that the heights above him were occupied1 had committed a grave error4 ,daylight showed that his force were completely exposed to our fire1 and that he could neither advance nor retire without running the gauntlet of it2 for this grew hotter and hotter as reinforcements came up4 ,halil ,khan and his men fought like tigers1 but were in an impossible position4 ,we had all the ammunition we required and an easy target4 ,our own casualties were astonishingly light1 but we did not get off scot-free1 and ,halil ,khan was personally responsible for many of our men4 ,by eleven o'clock the fight was over1 and those of the enemy remaining alive got clear as best they could4 ,before long news was brought that ,halil ,khan had been killed1 and that his body was still lying in the hollow4 ,immediate orders were given for it to be brought in1 as ,i feared the ,shiah ,hazaras might attempt to mutilate it4 ,one of the ,hazaras spread the news that he had seen me blow ,halil ,khan's head off4 ,the ,sarhad-dar overheard him1 repeated what the ,hazara had said1 and asked me to go and look at the body1 which had now been brought in4 ,a number of us went and looked at the body1 and found that a bullet had pierced his eye and had blown the back of his head off4 ,one of the ,rekis1 who had been present at the last ,durbar in ,khwash1 exclaimed1 ,sahib1 you are a ,buzurg 7a prophet74 ,you said at the ,durbar in ,khwash that if ever ,halil ,khan fought against you again you would blow his head off4 ,and behold1 you have done it4 ,once again ,i felt it policy to acquiesce and to admit that ,i was a prophet4 ,as a fact1 ,i had not fired a single shot during the engagement4 ,soon after ,i had returned to my tent an irate1 native officer of the ,hazaras craved admission1 which was accorded4 ,without preface he opened bluntly4 ,sahib1 will you give us ,halil ,khan's body8 ,i asked1 ,why8 ,what do you mean to do with it8 ,do you want to mutilate it8 ,he replied1 ,sahib1 when we lost men the day before yesterday1 and buried them before retiring1 the ,yarmahommedzais1 who came down after our departure1 dug up the bodies1 mutilated them horribly and flung them to the jackals4 ,therefore1 in justice1 ,halil ,khan's body is ours4 ,halil ,khan was a brave man as well as a great leader1 ,i replied4 ,you are going to give him a soldier's funeral4 ,you surely have no wish to treat him in the same terrible way that your men were treated8 ,he urged his point of view with such heat that ,i at last grew angry and asked him by what right he demanded ,halil ,khan's body1 and to answer me as to who had killed him4 ,you did1 ,sahib1 he replied1 eyeing me curiously4 ,exactly1 ,i said with decision4 ,then to whom does the body belong--to you or to me8 ,this seemed rather to appeal to him1 for he replied with greater calm3 ,to you1 ,sahib1 ,i suppose4 ,i suppose so too1 and ,i am going to do what ,i like with it4 ,go at once to ,gusht1 buy a new winding sheet1 and we will give ,halil ,khan a soldier's burial2 one befitting his brave deeds and position4 ,bring in all the mullahs 7priests7 you can find in ,gusht4 ,oh1 and1 by the way1 you can pay for the winding sheet for wasting so much of my time in argument4 ,so we accorded ,halil ,khan a really fine soldier's funeral4 ,nor was this without results1 for we learned1 later1 that it had made a great and favourable impression throughout the ,sarhad4 ,,chapter ,,xii ,,victory ,,and ,,peace ,news of the herds--,towards ,dast-,kird--,water6--,mutton for all--,dast-,kird--,a stampede--,back to ,khwash--,on the track of the ,gamshadzais--,twice a prophet--,the ,sarhad-dar's roost--,before ,jalk--,rejected terms--,more strategy and a bloodless victory--,remain only terms and sick leave4 ,we had certainly won a decisive victory from a military point of view1 but1 according to the unwritten code regulating victory in the ,sarhad1 we had yet to capture the ,raiders' ramas or herds of goats and sheep4 ,this omission still confronted us when one of ,idu's special ,reki scouts declared he knew the exact whereabouts of ,jiand's herds1 and that he could lead us there in two marches4 ,at the end of each of these he declared we should also find a good camping ground1 and a good water supply4 ,as these men had never yet promised water and failed us1 orders were given to strike camp and march out in the direction of ,dast-,kird1 through the valley lying between the ,morpeish and ,sar-i-drokan ,ranges4 ,although we made a very early start the heat soon became intense4 ,there was not a particle of shade1 and our route lay slightly uphill all the way1 over rugged broken ground4 ,also1 as we were confident of finding water at the camping ground1 the men had emptied their water bottles before mid-day1 and were enduring agonies of thirst long before we reached our proposed camping place2 whilst the suffering of the animals was pitiful to see4 ,but the prospect of a good drink at the end of the march kept up our spirits4 ,at last1 late in the afternoon1 the ,reki1 who had constituted himself our guide1 gave a cry and ran forward1 telling us that we had reached the spot where we should find water4 ,no sign of stream or spring showed itself1 but ,i remembered that the ,sarhadis have a way of finding water seemingly miraculous to the white man1 and when the ,reki proceeded to dig and scratch in the ground at the foot of a stunted tree we fully expected to see a little spring gush forth4 ,the men1 therefore1 with lips swollen and tongues cleaving to the roofs of their mouths1 crowded round1 eager and impatient4 ,but1 for once1 ,nature and the ,reki failed us4 ,for though the latter dug and dug1 with the sweat pouring down his face1 the dry1 arid ground showed not the faintest sign of moisture4 ,at last he desisted and fell at my feet1 saying despairingly1 ,sahib1 there is no water6 ,i found water here once1 in the cold season1 and ,i thought it would always be here4 ,the heat must have dried it all up4 ,illustration3 ,,water6 ,,on ,,the ,,march ,,to ,,the ,,sar-,i-,,drokan4 ,our situation was pretty desperate4 ,we had not a drop of water for man or beast1 and now could not tell when we should get any4 ,all through the latter part of that day's march we had succeeded in getting the men along solely by encouraging them with promises of water4 ,just a mile farther on and then1 perhaps another half-mile4 ,only those who have marched without water in torrid countries can have any conception of the depression that grips men when they do not know when1 or where1 water may next be found4 ,i cursed the man for misleading us1 and he shook with fear4 ,it is not my fault1 ,sahib4 ,water was here when last ,i came to this place4 ,but to-morrow1 without fail1 ,i will lead you to a fine stream of water4 ,to-morrow8 ,i echoed4 ,how are we to exist till to-morrow8 ,why should ,i believe you8 ,you have deceived us to-day1 why not again to-morrow8 ,the man swore on the ,koran he could and would lead us to a place where we should find water4 ,if ,i do not succeed1 ,sahib1 in finding water before eleven o'clock1 then take my life4 ,i replied grimly that if he failed again1 his life would most certainly be forfeit--that was to say if any of us then remained in a condition to shoot him4 ,the whole force suffered horribly that night1 and when we set out again it was still dark4 ,the ,reki went on ahead with the advance guard4 ,i rather imagine he was anxious to put a safe distance between himself and my revolver1 for ,i had1 indeed1 determined to have him shot if he deceived us a second time4 ,no man could face a second day of that blinding heat and glare without water and keep his sanity4 ,we had only been marching a few hours when a ,sawar rode back from the advance guard to report that large herds of sheep and goats had been sighted a short distance ahead4 ,our spirits instantly rose4 ,where there were sheep there would1 most probably1 be water4 ,shouting to the men to encourage them we galloped forward and were soon pushing our way through masses of sheep to find ourselves on the banks of a stream of clear1 cool water4 ,the difficulty1 of course1 was now to restrain man and beast from over-drinking2 for if ever nectar flowed on this earth it flowed that day in that parched1 sun-baked ,saragan ,valley4 ,unfortunately1 like the majority of streams in the ,sarhad1 and in ,persia generally1 it only flowed above ground for a short distance1 to be soon lost again in the arid1 sandy ground4 ,so orders were given to halt at that spot till we were all rested1 and had absorbed sufficient water to make up for the past thirty-six hours4 ,the thirty-four herds of sheep and goats found here were claimed as spoils of war1 and ,i determined to give the men a real1 good feast for once4 ,here was any amount of mutton for the killing1 and well-nigh as much goats' milk as water4 ,the hungry ,hazaras sent in a request that they might each have a whole sheep a day4 ,i naturally thought such a request fantastic1 and1 not taking it literally1 sent back word that they might1 for once1 have as much meat as they wanted4 ,but they took the permission literally1 and actually did slaughter a sheep for each man4 ,i discovered afterwards that their great idea had been to be able to boast1 in the future1 that1 after their great victory over the ,yarmahommedzais1 led by the ,gamshadzai ,chief1 ,halil ,khan1 their rations had been a sheep per man per day4 ,after this feast the carcasses of the uneaten sheep1 and of the half-cooked meat1 lay about in an orgy of waste1 and the sight of the camping-ground was1 as may be imagined1 a sickening one4 ,never again was such a ration-order given6 ,late in the afternoon1 with the whole force in fine fettle1 we continued our forward march1 driving the herds with us1 and1 a little later1 found a good camping ground with a plentiful supply of water4 ,for many hours that night1 owing to the bleating of thousands of sheep1 there was little rest for anyone4 ,but as they were now our sheep and not the enemy's1 the annoyance was cheerfully borne4 ,upon the following day water proved scarce1 and a great deal of digging had to be done before even a trickle could be found4 ,the unfortunate sheep and animals had1 therefore1 to go very short4 ,the country was also from this point getting very difficult1 and marching became a great labour in consequence4 ,part of our route lay through a narrow1 rocky defile2 one of the worst to negotiate1 from a military point of view1 that ,i have ever encountered4 ,had a mere handful of the enemy chosen to obstruct us it would have been utterly impossible to get through4 ,much picketing of the heights had to be done1 and this called for a great effort on the part of the ,hazara ,pioneers4 ,these duties were well carried out under the very able direction of ,major ,lang4 ,fortunately the ,yarmahommedzais had had enough of it1 and left us severely alone4 ,in fact1 the only signs we had of them were the blood tracks of their wounded1 walking or carried4 ,but even these were significant enough evidence of their losses during the fight4 ,the next day brought us more open ground1 though marching still remained arduous1 as we were tackling an uphill route4 ,but later it fell away again towards the ,dast-,kird gorge1 and1 by the afternoon1 we were able to pitch our camp in a wild1 but very picturesque1 little valley1 close to ,jiand's ,summer haunt4 ,this valley1 as ,i have already explained1 lies between the ,morpeish and ,sar-i-drokan heights1 which at this point rise sheer from it on either side4 ,there are also a good many trees in the neighbourhood1 and the ground round the bases of these had been flattened1 and then plastered with mud1 in order to form good flooring for jugis4 ,we spent the night here1 and on the following day arrived at ,dast-,kird1 where we camped close to a small stream4 ,unfortunately this stream was so small1 a mere trickle1 that it would not suffice for the animals1 who had had insufficient water for the last two or three days4 ,these herds were some little distance behind1 for1 poor brutes1 they were feeling the heat and lack of water terribly4 ,we1 therefore1 proceeded to make some provision for them1 before their arrival1 by damming the stream1 and trying to make a small reservoir4 ,the first animals to arrive were the battery mules1 who1 when they smelt water1 made a dash for it4 ,but they had scarcely begun to drink than a mass of twelve thousand sheep and goats1 also smelling water1 broke from their would-be shepherds1 and1 in a solid phalanx1 charged the mules1 routed them1 and took possession of the water-supply4 ,the men pulled and tugged1 and struck them with their rifles in their endeavour to stampede them and drink themselves4 ,but those sheep knew the power of numbers and of combination4 ,with their heads well down they slaked their thirst from a stream which1 now that the dam had been trodden down1 had again become a trickle1 and they held that position1 against all comers1 for twenty minutes4 ,poor beasts1 they paid for their orgy at the price of some two hundred lives that night4 ,upon the following day we started on our return march to ,khwash1 and1 upon our entry there1 were accorded a great reception1 and the story of the fight had to be told again and again4 ,it was during this march that we began to realise the extent of the ,yarmahommedzai casualties in the recent fighting2 for1 during the whole of it1 from the scene of the fight right through to ,khwash1 a distance of about a hundred miles1 not a single one of the enemy did we see1 nor was a solitary shot fired at us4 ,but ,i was still not quite satisfied with results4 ,we had not yet closely engaged and beaten the ,gamshadzais1 nor had we put into operation that deciding factor1 the capture of their herds4 ,on the contrary1 when we had attempted to pierce the ,saragan defile1 they had forced us to retire4 ,i have never yet been able to understand why ,halil ,khan never brought his own force against us near ,gusht1 but only the ,yarmahommedzais1 after he had persuaded ,jiand to let him lead the latter into battle4 ,it can only be supposed that he thought he had a task easy enough to tackle with one lashkar1 and that he would not1 in consequence1 endanger his own men's lives4 ,the mystery is the deeper because he had previously been at great pains to collect all his scattered tribesmen1 and had concentrated them in the ,safed-koh4 ,yet these men1 even when news reached them of our victory over ,jiand's tribe and of the death of their leader1 never made the smallest attempt to attack us or to reverse the decision of arms4 ,it will be understood1 then1 that while the ,gamshadzais remained unbeaten and their herds intact1 our claim to dominance in the ,sarhad could not be claimed as anything but partial4 ,if1 therefore1 we were to hope for lasting peace in the future1 they too must have a lesson4 ,so1 after a couple of days' rest at ,khwash1 we marched out with our faces once more turned towards ,gusht1 and with every hope of another victory4 ,the composition of the force was much the same as that upon the previous occasion1 but with the addition of a few ,chagai ,levies under ,major ,hutchinson 7political officer74 ,a couple of days' marching across the burning plain found us camped at a place called ,ab-i-kahugan1 lying in a small valley closely surrounded by hills4 ,the men were hot and weary1 and1 as water had been scarce on the march1 they were only too thankful to fling themselves down and rest4 ,there were a small water hole and a few stunted trees and shrubs under which a certain amount of shade could be obtained4 ,for myself ,i dropped down under one of these bushes and slept well on into the afternoon4 ,when at last ,i woke1 still feeling very done up with the heat1 ,i saw one or two flashes of lightning in the distance1 and felt certain that it was going to rain4 ,i immediately got up and gave orders for the whole camp to be moved on to higher ground1 and selected a likely spot on one of the slopes of the low hills surrounding the valley4 ,the heat was still very great1 and the effort expended in striking and re-pitching camp was not inconsiderable4 ,the present camping-place was also infinitely cooler and more comfortable4 ,as an outcome of this order an officer reported that the men were grumbling at having to move when tired out with the heat and the heavy marching of the last few days4 ,i explained 7for ,i knew by my own state how tired and done the men must be7 that ,i had a presentiment that it was going to rain and that1 if it did1 the dry valley-bed would soon be a running stream4 ,the officer stared at me4 ,rain8 he repeated1 as though he had not heard me aright4 ,but it hardly ever rains in the ,sarhad1 and it has never been known to rain in ,august4 ,nevertheless1 ,i replied1 this valley-bottom is going to be turned upside down1 and the sooner you get your men out of it and up on to high ground the better4 ,the officer saluted and returned to his men1 who sulkily proceeded to carry up their kit and tents and to form a new camp on the uncomfortable1 sloping sides of the hill4 ,as ,i strolled about1 seeing that my orders were being carried out1 ,i noticed that ,major ,hutchinson's tent had been left in the bed of the valley4 ,i walked up to it1 found him dozing inside1 and told him to have his tent moved on to higher ground as it was going to rain4 ,he1 however1 demurred1 saying that he was very tired4 ,he added1 ,it never rains in the month of ,august in ,baluchistan4 ,i1 however1 remained firm1 though the few light clouds flecking the sky a short while before had completely disappeared4 ,despite my stringent orders some of ,major ,hutchinson's ,chagai ,levies apparently passed unnoticed amongst the low scrub1 and so remained down in the shady comfort of the valley4 ,as the evening wore on ,i began to feel that perhaps ,i had been foolish in ignoring the dogmatic statements of the men well acquainted with weather conditions in the ,sarhad1 and was still chewing the cud of this reflection when1 suddenly1 ,i heard a roar in the distance4 ,this came rapidly nearer1 and very quickly resolved itself into the sound of rushing water4 ,almost before we realised it1 a mighty spate swept into the valley1 literally filling it4 ,the water carried everything before it1 and very soon small trees1 shrubs and dbris were being hurled along in a mighty rush4 ,it was pretty evident that the rain foretold had indeed fallen1 though actually1 in another part of the hills1 forming this spate1 which would have caused us serious loss but for my lucky premonition4 ,torrents of rain accompanied the spate1 and the kit of the few ,chagai ,levies who had neglected orders was carried away and never seen again4 ,as for the ,levies themselves1 they came within an ace of losing their own lives1 and only saved themselves by clambering into the branches of some stunted trees1 and waiting there till rescued4 ,nor was the rescue-work done without considerable risk to the rescuers4 ,the ,sarhad-dar had1 for some reason1 been down in the valley-bed when the spate arrived1 and had been nearly drawn under during the first few minutes4 ,but he too1 fortunately1 managed to climb into a low tree1 where for some time his position was perilous enough1 for the swirling waters threatened every minute to snap or uproot the trunk1 when he would have been carried away4 ,it was pitch dark when the spate arrived4 ,i had seized a hurricane lamp from my tent and was watching the amazing scene by its light1 when ,i heard the ,sarhad-dar's voice shouting for help4 ,one of our resourceful ,rekis instantly grasped the situation4 ,he jumped on to one of the horses tethered close by1 urged him into the flood1 and soon had the ,sarhad-dar safely beside me on the high ground4 ,he was later on recommended for the ,royal ,humane ,society's ,medal4 ,the next morning1 as soon as ,i was awake1 my tent was besieged by the ,hazaras4 ,they crowded round1 asking me to come out4 ,so slipping into my kit ,i emerged with the intention of asking them what they wanted4 ,but ,i had scarcely lifted the tent-flap when they all raised a shout1 and then proceeded to tell me that ,i was a ,buzurg 7prophet71 that they all owed their lives to me1 and had come to thank me4 ,i replied with proper solemnity4 ,it was undeniable1 ,i said1 that ,i was a prophet1 for had they not recently had two concrete instances of my powers8 ,later on1 ,major ,hutchinson1 in thanking me for saving his life1 asked3 ,how did you know it was going to rain8 ,i laughingly replied1 ,because ,i'm a prophet1 my son6 ,didn't you hear the ,hazaras proclaim it just now8 ,as a matter of fact we had very great reason to be thankful for our escape4 ,the loss of the whole of our camp equipment1 and of hundreds of our animals1 would have been inevitable had the camp remained on its original site4 ,the day following this incident we marched through ,gusht again1 and camped on the site of our recent engagement4 ,from here we resumed our march in the direction of ,zaiti1 a camping ground lying just beyond the ,saragan defile4 ,but though we started at five a4m41 met with no opposition and reckoned the distance only about twelve miles1 we were not through the defile before midnight4 ,it must have been at about this hour that ,i called one of the native ,hazara officers to my side1 and remarked1 ,your men were very disappointed the other day when we tried to force the pass1 and the order was given to retire4 ,you remember1 they said they were convinced they could have got through1 even with the heavy opposition we encountered4 ,do you think1 now they've seen what it's really like1 they are satisfied that the order was a necessary one8 ,sahib1 he replied1 of course we all see now that we could have done nothing in such a place against a determined enemy4 ,i have never been through such a place in my life1 and ,i am used to rough and difficult country4 ,as a matter of fact the defile was so narrow in places that a loaded camel could not get through it4 ,fortunately we had a quantity of gun cotton with us1 so were able to blast the rocks here and there1 and thus make the passage possible for them without unloading4 ,in due course we arrived at the village of ,sinukan1 a place some eleven miles from ,jalk4 ,jalk at the time was a ,gamshadzai stronghold1 where they held two forts of some strength4 ,illustration3 ,,hazara ,,pioneers ,,widening ,a ,,passage ,,for ,,loaded ,,camels4 ,at ,sinukan ,i received a message from the ,gamshadzais saying that they wished to treat with me1 and asking whether ,i would go into ,jalk and state my terms4 ,if these were acceptable1 they said1 they would instantly submit1 but1 if not1 they undertook to withdraw their forces to a distance of five miles on the farther side of ,jalk1 provided we also withdrew five miles from the town on our side4 ,this suggestion was made in order to give us both time to make our respective dispositions before fighting commenced4 ,an answer was sent to say that ,i agreed to the conditions1 and that my force would come at once into ,jalk to meet the ,chiefs and present my terms to them4 ,i would say here that these terms were not drastic4 ,they were only bare necessary safeguards for the lasting peace of the ,sarhad4 ,on their presentation1 therefore1 and for a time during the discussion1 ,i hoped that counsels of wisdom would prevail1 and that they would be accepted in toto4 ,at the last minute1 however1 the hotheads over-ruled the moderates and they were formally rejected4 ,on this rejection ,i warned them that1 if they persisted in their refusal1 it meant fighting1 and their reply was that they fully recognised the gravity of their decision1 but that they meant to abide by it4 ,accordingly1 we retired not only five miles but the whole eleven miles back to ,sinukan4 ,my reason for this action was that ,i had already thought out a plan by which it might be possible to subdue these warlike tribesmen without the fighting ,i was naturally anxious to avoid4 ,i certainly did not want to lose my own men1 nor did ,i wish to make casualties of any more of the ,sarhadis4 ,my chief object had been1 throughout1 and1 as has already been mentioned in this narrative1 to make friends with them in the long run4 ,but no race1 white or coloured1 ever held in respect man or government showing weakness or indecision1 and1 as the foregoing pages prove1 it was of little use attempting to make friends with these tribesmen without first inspiring them with a wholesome respect for ,british arms4 ,as we approached ,sinukan ,i directed my ,brigade ,major to form two separate camps as ,i wished to seize ,jalk by surprise that night with a portion of my force4 ,my idea was to leave my transport and other encumbrances under a sufficient guard at ,sinukan and with the remainder to move off secretly to carry out my intentions4 ,great care was taken to keep my idea secret1 and only a few officers knew my intention4 ,so well was the secret kept that my personal servant1 ,allah-dad1 brought me my tea next morning only to find my bed empty4 ,illustration3 ,,chahgird ,,fort ,,in ,,jalk4 ,at midnight1 very quietly we roused the troops and marched off4 ,before dawn we arrived outside the town4 ,it was only at the very last moment that the ,gamshadzais1 who had learned that ,i had gone straight back to ,sinukan1 and1 in consequence1 had not anticipated an attack that night1 got wind of our approach4 ,they were1 therefore1 taken completely by surprise1 and utterly lost their heads4 ,as we charged into the place with the cavalry they all took to their heels and rushed out on the other side1 leaving many arms behind them4 ,within a very few minutes the two forts were in our hands4 ,my men soon rounded up the few ,gamshadzais who had remained in the place1 which seemed otherwise to be full of women and children4 ,to my embarrassment three large ramas of weeping women and children were presently led up to where ,i was sitting under a tree on the bank of a stream4 ,i was then informed that they were all mine4 ,some of them1 in tears1 asked me what ,i was going to do with them4 ,i replied1 ,i don't know4 ,but at any rate ,i am ,english and not a ,german4 ,what would you like me to do with you8 ,they seemed bewildered at first1 and without understanding1 but when ,i assured them that ,i was speaking seriously1 and really wanted to know what they would like to do1 they soon found their tongues and made known the fact that they would like to go to their own homes4 ,is that all8 ,i replied4 ,well then1 go4 ,their faces which1 at first1 shone with joy soon fell again4 ,but1 ,sahib1 we have nothing left4 ,you have captured all our possessions4 ,but ,i don't want them1 ,i returned4 ,take everything that is yours and go4 ,their thanks were then overwhelming1 but ,i cut them short4 ,wait a bit before you thank me so much4 ,no ,englishman ever makes war against woman and children--but there are your men4 ,if ,i catch them1 after all the trouble they've given me1 ,i shall certainly kill them4 ,kill them then1 ,sahib1 they said scornfully4 ,they deserted us1 and ran away1 when you and your lashkar came in4 ,it is all they deserve4 ,as a matter of fact ,i learned1 soon afterwards1 that the ,gamshadzais had not only run out of ,jalk1 but right out of the ,sarhad1 to take refuge in other districts4 ,by thus evacuating their own country they acknowledged their final defeat4 ,it is reasonable to suppose that this humiliating end to their opposition would never have occurred had ,halil ,khan been alive4 ,he1 at least1 would have been game to the last4 ,he would have died fighting at ,jalk--as he had indeed died at ,gusht--or he would have surrendered with dignity4 ,halil ,khan was a fine man1 and without his leadership the spirit of his men at first faltered and then failed4 ,it seemed then that1 by this last action with the ,gamshadzais1 the prestige of the ,british had been completely restored throughout the ,sarhad4 ,in the ,west1 ,juma ,khan1 leader of the ,ismailzais1 had faithfully kept his word to1 and had demonstrated his friendship and loyalty for1 the ,british cause1 ever since he had pledged both at ,kacha4 ,in the centre of the district the ,yarmahommedzais had been completely defeated in open action4 ,in the ,east the ,gamshadzais had abandoned their arms and had bolted from the country4 ,there was now nothing left to be done4 ,we1 therefore1 returned1 marching easily to ,khwash1 where1 very shortly after our arrival1 ,i received letters from both the ,yarmahommedzais and ,gamshadzais asking to be allowed to return to their respective homes in the ,sarhad1 and on any terms that might be imposed4 ,i had had eight months of continual work in the hot weather of the ,sarhad and was very near the end of my tether4 ,as a fact ,i was1 by that time1 suffering badly in health in many ways1 and our medical officer insisted upon an immediate return to ,india for a long rest4 ,as the ,sarhad was now completely ours1 and as it only remained for the political officers to dictate terms to the tribes1 ,i listened to the advice of that medical officer1 applied for leave to return to ,simla1 and was1 in due course1 granted it4 ,but1 though the need for rest in a cooler climate was urgent1 it was with real regret that ,i said goodbye to ,khwash1 the centre of so many hopes and fears1 and the scene of such dramatic happenings4 ,,index ,ab-i-kahugan1 #bji ,allah-dad 7the author's servant71 #ai1 #bj1 #bc1 #cf1 #baf ,allan 7the author's chauffeur71 #ai1 #bj1 #bc1 #bd1 #be1 #bf1 #bg1 #bh1 #cb1 #cc1 #cf1 #ajd1 #aje1 #ajf1 #ajg1 #ajh1 #aji1 #aaj1 #aac1 #aag1 #aah1 #aai1 #abj1 #aba1 #abb1 #abg ,baghdad1 #dh ,baluch ,raiders1 #ba ,bampur1 #dd1 #hc1 #hd ,bampur1 ,khan of1 #hc1 #hd1 #aif ,birjand1 #af1 #ch1 #ci1 #aja ,borgar1 #ca ,bream1 ,lieutenant1 #f1 #ahe ,brownlow1 ,captain1 #e1 #ahe1 #ahg1 #aic ,chagai ,levies1 #f1 #cc1 #cd1 #ci1 #da1 #eb1 #fj1 #fa1 #gc1 #bji1 #baa1 #bab ,chitral1 #ch ,claridge ,colonel1 #e1 #ea1 #adc1 #afc1 #aha1 #ahc1 #ahe ,dale1 ,colonel1 #aha ,dast-,kird1 #ahe1 #ahf1 #ahg1 #ahh1 #ahi1 #bja1 #bjf1 #bjg ,dew1 ,colonel1 #hd ,duff1 ,general ,sir ,beauchamp1 #dg ,duzd-ab ,plain1 #ib1 #ie ,eastwick1 ,mr41 #dh ,english1 ,captain1 ,r4,a41 #f1 #ahe1 #aie ,galahad 7the author's horse71 #bc1 #ea ,galugan1 #dj1 #hb1 #hd1 #he1 #hi1 #ib1 #aji ,gamshadzais1 #dj1 #dg1 #fb1 #gc1 #gf1 #hb1 #ij1 #afe1 #afg1 #agf1 #agg1 #agi1 #aij1 #aib1 #bje1 #bjh1 #bji1 #bad1 #baf1 #bag1 #bah1 #bai ,grover1 ,general1 #bj ,gul-,bibi1 #eh1 #ace1 #acf1 #acg1 #ach1 #aci1 #adj1 #aej1 #aea ,gusht1 #db1 #agg1 #ahf1 #ahg1 #ahh1 #ahi1 #aij1 #aid1 #bjj1 #bjh1 #bji1 #bac1 #bah ,gushti1 #ahh1 #ahi1 #aij1 #aie1 #aif ,gwarko1 #hf ,halil1 #ce ,halil ,khan1 #dj1 #dg1 #di1 #gc1 #gf1 #gg1 #gh1 #gi1 #hj1 #ha1 #hb1 #hi1 #ij1 #id1 #if1 #ii1 #ajj1 #acg1 #adj1 #ada1 #adg1 #adh1 #afa1 #agb1 #agf1 #agg1 #agh1 #ahf1 #ahg1 #ahh1 #aij1 #aif1 #aig1 #aih1 #aii1 #bjj1 #bje1 #bjh1 #bah ,hazara ,pioneers1 #ajfth1 #f1 #aga1 #agb1 #agg1 #aha1 #ahc1 #ahd1 #ahe1 #aib1 #aih1 #aii1 #bje1 #bjf1 #bab1 #bac1 #bad ,hazara tribes1 #ag ,herat1 #ag ,hirst1 ,captain1 #e1 #eb1 #fj ,hutchinson1 ,major1 #bji1 #baj1 #baa1 #bac ,ibrahim1 #da ,idu1 #f1 #cc1 #cd1 #ce1 #cf1 #da1 #dh1 #di1 #ej1 #ec1 #ei1 #fe1 #gb1 #gc1 #gh1 #hc1 #he1 #hg1 #hh1 #ia1 #ib1 #ic1 #id1 #ie1 #ig1 #ii1 #ajj1 #ajc1 #ajd1 #aje1 #ajf1 #ajg1 #ajh1 #aji1 #aaj1 #aab1 #aad1 #aae1 #aaf1 #aag1 #aai1 #aba1 #abc1 #abd1 #abe1 #abf1 #abg1 #abi1 #acc1 #acd1 #ace1 #acf1 #ach1 #aej1 #afe1 #aff1 #agf1 #ahg1 #bja ,ismailzais1 #dj1 #dg1 #fb1 #fd1 #gi1 #hb1 #hi1 #bah ,izzat1 #gh1 #aad1 #aae1 #aaf1 #aag1 #aah1 #aai1 #aba1 #abc1 #abh1 #aca1 #aff1 #afh1 #afi1 #agj ,jalk1 #dj1 #db1 #di1 #ee1 #aif1 #bad1 #bae1 #baf1 #bah ,jiand ,khan1 #dj1 #dg1 #di1 #ef1 #eg1 #eh1 #ei1 #fj1 #fa1 #fb1 #fc1 #fd1 #fe1 #ff1 #fg1 #fi1 #gj1 #ga1 #gb1 #gc1 #ge1 #gf1 #gh1 #gi1 #hj1 #ha1 #hb1 #hi1 #ij1 #ia1 #id1 #ie1 #ih1 #ii1 #ajj1 #ajb1 #ajc1 #aaa1 #aab1 #aac1 #aaf1 #aah1 #abb1 #abd1 #abh1 #abi1 #acj1 #aca1 #acb1 #acc1 #acd1 #ace1 #acf1 #acg1 #adj1 #adb1 #adf1 #adg1 #adh1 #aeb1 #aec1 #aed1 #aee1 #aeg1 #aeh1 #aei1 #afb1 #agb1 #agc1 #agd1 #age1 #agf1 #agg1 #agh1 #agi1 #ahj1 #aha1 #ahb1 #ahd1 #ahe1 #ahf1 #ahg1 #ahh1 #ahi1 #aij1 #aia1 #aif1 #aig1 #bja1 #bjf ,jujak1 #ajf ,juma ,khan1 #dj1 #dg1 #fb1 #fd1 #gi1 #hb1 #hd1 #hi1 #ij1 #ia1 #ii1 #ajj1 #aja1 #adj1 #afa1 #bah ,kacha1 #dg1 #di1 #eb1 #ec1 #hf1 #hg1 #ib1 #ie1 #if1 #ig1 #ii1 #ajd1 #ajf1 #aaf1 #abf1 #acg1 #adc1 #aff1 #aga1 #aha1 #bah ,kamalabad1 #fc1 #fe1 #ff1 #fg1 #ga1 #hi1 #adf1 #adg1 #afb1 #afc1 #agf1 #agg1 #agh1 #agi1 #ahd1 #ahi ,karsimabad1 #adg1 #aeb1 #aec1 #aed1 #aee1 #aef1 #aeg1 #afa ,kerman1 #ag ,khan ,bahadur4 ,see the ,sarhad-dar4 ,khwash1 #ci1 #dj1 #db1 #ej1 #eb1 #ee1 #eg1 #eh1 #ga1 #gb1 #gc1 #gd1 #gf1 #hj1 #hb1 #hc1 #hd1 #hg1 #hi1 #ig1 #ii1 #ajj1 #ajb1 #ajc1 #ajd1 #ajh1 #aab1 #aac1 #aad1 #aaf1 #aah1 #aai1 #aba1 #abb1 #abf1 #abg1 #abh1 #abi1 #acb1 #acc1 #ace1 #acg1 #adj1 #adb1 #adc1 #add1 #adf1 #aeb1 #afb1 #afc1 #afg1 #afi1 #aga1 #age1 #agg1 #agi1 #ahj1 #aha1 #ahd1 #ahe1 #ahg1 #aii1 #bjh1 #bji1 #bai ,khwashis1 #gd1 #ge1 #abd1 #abe1 #abf1 #abg1 #abh1 #acj1 #afc1 #afd1 #aff1 #afg ,kirkpatrick1 ,general1 #ae1 #ah1 #dg ,kitson1 ,general ,sir ,gerald1 #ai ,koh-i-,bazman1 #dd1 #hc1 #he ,koh-i-,jiandsiah1 #ie ,koh-i-,taftan1 #dd1 #ee1 #eg1 #fc1 #fd1 #gd1 #gf1 #hi1 #aje1 #aed1 #agb1 #agi ,korasan1 #af ,ladis1 #ee1 #ef1 #eg1 #aai ,landon1 ,major1 #e1 #cg1 #dh1 #ej1 #eb1 #ec1 #ed1 #fa1 #fd1 #gb1 #gf1 #hc1 #ib1 #ic1 #ie1 #ajb1 #ajc1 #ajd1 #aje1 #ajh1 #aac1 #aah1 #abh1 #abi1 #acj1 #aca1 #acb1 #acc1 #acf1 #acg1 #ach1 #aeb ,lang1 ,major1 #e1 #ahc1 #ahe1 #bjf ,light ,cavalry1 #bhth1 #e1 #ej1 #ea1 #eb1 #adc ,lut ,desert1 #af ,mac,gowan1 ,major1 #eb1 #ec ,mahommed-,hassan1 #gb1 #gc1 #gd1 #hj1 #ha1 #ace1 #adj ,makn-tuk1 #aib ,makran1 #hd ,meshed1 #db ,middlesex1 #ith1 #ai ,mirjawa1 #eb1 #ec1 #ed1 #ajf ,mirza ,khan1 #hb ,moore-,lane1 ,captain1 #e1 #ahe ,morpeish ,hills1 #fc1 #fe1 #ff1 #fg1 #ada1 #agh1 #ahd1 #ahe1 #ahg1 #ahh1 #bja1 #bjf ,murad1 #adg1 #adh1 #aeb1 #aec1 #aee1 #aef1 #aeg1 #afa ,mushki-chah1 #cj ,narmashir1 #ag1 #ia1 #agj ,nasaratabad1 #ch1 #ci1 #df1 #ej1 #ea1 #fd1 #adc ,nasaratabad-sippi1 #fd1 #ij ,nur-,mahommed1 #aeg1 #aeh1 #afa ,nushki1 #ah1 #bj1 #ba1 #bb1 #ci1 #ea1 #ga1 #adb1 #aic ,oxus ,river1 #ch ,pamirs1 #ch ,persian ,gulf1 #hd ,pindi1 #ah1 #bj ,pioneers1 #abth1 #ec1 #ed ,punjab ,infantry1 #aith1 #eb ,quetta1 #ah1 #bj1 #ba1 #ci1 #agj ,rekis1 #da1 #dg1 #ef1 #hb1 #aji1 #aab1 #aad1 #aai1 #afc1 #afe1 #aic1 #aii1 #bja1 #bjb1 #bjc1 #bab ,robat1 #bj1 #ba1 #bb1 #bc1 #bh1 #cf1 #cg1 #ch1 #da1 #dg1 #ej1 #ea1 #fd1 #ga1 #hf1 #ig1 #ajd1 #ajf1 #adb1 #aga1 #aic ,safed-koh1 #dj1 #aij1 #aib1 #bjh ,saindak1 #ca1 #cb1 #ce1 #cf1 #ci1 #eb1 #ajd1 #ajf1 #aga1 #agb1 #agg1 #agh1 #aha ,sanders1 ,major1 #e1 #aeb1 #aed1 #aef1 #aeh1 #aei1 #age1 #agf1 #ahe1 #aif ,saragan defile1 #aib1 #bjd1 #bjh1 #bac ,sarhad1 #ae1 #ag1 #ah1 #ba1 #bb1 #ce1 #dj1 #dc1 #dd1 #eb1 #ee1 #gg1 #gh1 #ha1 #hb1 #id1 #aja1 #aac1 #aai1 #ace1 #adg1 #afa1 #afe1 #agg1 #ahj1 #ahf1 #bjj1 #bja1 #bjd1 #bji1 #baj1 #baa1 #bae1 #bah1 #bai ,sarhad-dar1 #ci1 #eg1 #eh1 #fa1 #fd1 #gb1 #gi1 #hc1 #ie1 #ig1 #ih1 #ajb1 #acb1 #acf1 #ach1 #aci1 #aef1 #afj1 #afa1 #afb1 #aff1 #afh1 #agf1 #aic1 #bab ,sar-i-drokan1 #fe1 #ff1 #ahd1 #ahe1 #bja1 #bjf ,scinde ,horse1 #ceth1 #e1 #cg ,seistan1 #ce1 #df1 #fd ,shah ,sawar1 #eh1 #ei1 #fj1 #hj1 #ha1 #hb1 #abc1 #abd1 #abe1 #abf1 #abg1 #abh1 #abi1 #aca1 #acb1 #ace1 #acg1 #ach1 #aci1 #adj1 #adh1 #adi1 #aej1 #aea1 #ahb ,shiah ,mahommedans1 #ag1 #ahd1 #aih ,sikhs1 #cfth1 #e1 #aeb ,simla1 #cg1 #dg1 #ej1 #bai ,sinukan1 #bad1 #bae1 #baf ,sunni ,mahommedans1 #ag1 #da1 #ahd ,takht-i-,jinikan1 #ib1 #ic ,teheran1 #dh ,webb-,ware route1 #cb ,yadgar1 #bf ,yarmahommedzais1 #dj1 #dg1 #fb1 #ff1 #gb1 #gd1 #gh1 #hb1 #ij1 #aac1 #acj1 #adh1 #aef1 #afj1 #afd1 #afe1 #afi1 #agb1 #agi1 #aia1 #aif1 #aii1 #bje1 #bjf1 #bjh1 #bah1 #bai ,yates1 ,lieutenant1 #ec ,zaiti1 #bac ,,printed ,,in ,,great ,,britain ,,by ,,the ,,northumberland ,,press1 ,,limited ,,waterloo ,,house1 ,,thornton ,,street ,,newcastle-,,upon-,,tyne 99 99 99 99 99 99 ,transcriber's note ,obvious typographical errors and punctuation errors have been corrected after careful comparison with other occurrences within the text and consultation of external sources4 ,except for those changes noted below1 all misspellings in the text1 and inconsistent or archaic usage1 have been retained4 ,for example1 despatch2 ,sherif2 townless2 rarified2 hill-side1 hillside2 night-fall1 nightfall2 koh-i-,taftan1 koh-i-taftan4 ,pg #aj ,table of ,contents3 ',sharhad-dar' replaced by ',sarhad-dar'4 ,pg #abd3 'he he said' replaced by 'he said'4 ,pg #agb ,illustration caption3 ',,kachha' replaced by ',,kacha'4 ,pg #ahd ,illustration caption3 ',,ghusht' replaced by ',,gusht'4 ,pg #bja3 ',sharhad-dar' replaced by ',sarhad-dar'4 ,pg #bja3 ',reki scout' replaced by ',reki scouts'4 ,pg #baf ,illustration caption3 ',,chahqird' replaced by ',,chahgird'4 ,index3 ',ab-i-,kahugan' replaced by ',ab-i-kahugan'4 ,index3 ',mourlain1 ,captain1 #e' replaced by ',moore-,lane1 ,captain1 #e1 #ahe' ,index3 ',mushkichah' replaced by ',mushki-chah'4