On the 12th of August we departed from Badjghar on our return to
C[=a]bul, and I reached Bamee[=a]n by a forced march in two days,
preceding Sturt, who was still very weak and obliged to travel more
leisurely. I was very nearly suffering from my anxiety to get on, for
one of the laden Yabboos, being urged beyond what he considered his
lawful rate of progress, lashed out most furiously with both hind
legs; luckily, the flap of my saddle received the full force of one
of his heels, and the soft part of my leg the other, which lamed me
severely for a time.
On the 22nd, Sturt having arrived, we made up our party to visit
the ruins of the Castle of Zohawk, distant about ten miles from
Bamee[=a]n. I was rewarded for my trouble, both from the picturesque
nature of the ruins themselves, and because I was fortunate enough
again to fall in with one of those professional story-tellers from
whom I have already largely quoted. I have indeed listened to many
more stories than I have ventured here to insert; some I have rejected
from the nature of their details, others from there being a strong
impression on my mind that they were the extempore invention of the
story-teller with a view to the rupee, which he feared he would not
secure if he confessed he had nothing to relate. I have not perhaps
been judicious in my selection of those which I hoped would amuse the
reader, but I have done my best to choose for insertion those which
differed the most from each other; and I may be allowed to add as an
excuse for my apparent credulity regarding the tales themselves, that
they are implicitly believed by the inhabitants, so that, making
allowance for the corruption of tradition, the facts on which they are
founded in all probability did really occur.
The ruins of the Castle of Zohawk are situated on a hill commanding
the high road from Toorkisthan over the Ir[=a]k and Kalloo passes, and
in the angle formed by the union of the Bamee[=a]n and Ir[=a]k rivers.
It is impossible to fix the date of the first structure; it seems from
the ruin to have been added to at many successive epochs. The size of
the towers appeared very insignificant compared with the extent of
ground which the building at one time evidently covered, but perhaps
the towers, though small, were numerous. The only one now standing was
situated high up the hill, from which a covered passage partly cut
through the solid rock leads down to the water side. We had some
trouble in gaining the highest point of the ruins, as we were obliged
to scramble up the steep face of the precipice, still covered with the
remains of walls and bastions, which had been built up wherever the
ground was sufficiently level for a foundation. Many dreary-looking
cells attracted our notice amongst the ruins, and all the information
I could get was, that they were the abode of evil spirits. My
informant would, I do believe, have amused me for hours with legends
of the said spirits, and indeed every river and lake, every mountain
and valley in this district bears its peculiar legend, always
improbable, generally absurd, and though from that very cause
diverting for the moment, I fear that the naïve taste amongst our
"savans" which delighted in the history of Jack the Giant-killer being
fast on the wane, they would not be gratified by a lengthy recital;
but I must still take the liberty of repeating as well as I could
follow the vile jargon of my narrator, a tale which he told me of the
Castle of Zohawk while standing on its ruins. He had evidently been
accustomed to tell the same story to others, or else I imagine that,
in consideration of our both being on the spot, he would have spared a
description of what I saw before my eyes. I give it to the reader as
nearly as I can in the narrator's words.
"At the extreme end of a precipitous hill jutting out from the main
range of mountains at the junction of the Bamee[=a]n and Ir[=a]k
rivers, are the remains of an old castle called Zohawk, after a noted
freebooter, who, secure in the strength of his fortress, was the
terror of the surrounding villages, and lived by rapine, pillage, and
plunder of every kind. To a careless observer the diminutive tower,
which alone remains standing, would not convey an adequate idea of the
original extent of the castle; but on a close examination the whole
face of the mountain will be found to be covered with ruined walls
and roofless chambers, now the fit abodes of devils of all sorts and
denominations. Many hundreds of years ago, before the invasion of
Nadir Shah, Zohawk Khan occupied the castle; he did not build it, but
as it acquired an infamous notoriety during his life-time, and has not
been inhabited since, it still bears the name of the ferocious robber,
who with a band as vicious as himself lived there for many years.
Zohawk Khan was originally an Huzareh peasant; he was seized while
a child and carried off in slavery to Toorkisth[=a]n, where
his naturally cruel and savage disposition was exasperated by
ill-treatment and fostered by the scenes of wickedness with which he
was made familiar. Being very cunning, he soon acquired influence
amongst his fellow slaves, and organized a conspiracy, in the
fulfilment of which his own master and many other Toorkomaun chiefs
were put to death under every refinement of torture. Zohawk at the
head of the rebel slaves then traversed the country, robbing the
harmless peasants, till he reached the vicinity of the castle,
which still bears his name. It was then inhabited by an old Huzareh
chieftain, who had formerly been a kind master to Zohawk's parents.
Regardless of the memory of past kindness, the ruffian determined to
possess himself of this place, and under the pretence of craving the
hospitality of the rightful owner, introduced himself and fellow
villains into the fortification. In the dead of the night, according
to a preconcerted plan, the robbers rose from their place of rest, and
stealing to the sleeping apartment of the chieftain, murdered him; the
affrighted garrison craved for life, but one after another were placed
in irons to be disposed of as slaves. The freebooter, now master of
the fortress, assumed the title of Kh[=a]n, and commenced that career
of ruthless cruelty and depravity which more than any thing else
causes his name to be remembered and his memory cursed by the present
inhabitants of the neighbourhood. The government of the self-styled
Kh[=a]n was a reign of terror, and many were the nameless atrocities
committed within the walls of the castle. He had, however, one
confidant, whom he believed faithful, but who from interested motives
submitted to the savage passions of his master, and being the chief
eunuch of the harem, had great influence in that department. It was
the custom of Zohawk Kh[=a]n to choose the autumn of the year for the
season of his predatory excursions, and it happened that, while
absent with the flower of his force on one of these death-dealing
expeditions, a conspiracy was set on foot, the principal agitator
being the eunuch of the seraglio. "It was determined that on the
evening when the chieftain was expected to return, a general feast
should be given to those remaining at home, with the double view of
rendering the men who had not joined in the conspiracy incapable from
the effects of debauchery in siding with Zohawk, and of exasperating
the ferocious chieftain, who was known to be averse to any revelry
during his absence. The favourite wife summoned all the harem to a
feast, whilst a copious allowance of intoxicating liquor was served
out to the minor portion of the garrison. The wine soon produced
the required effect, and in the midst of the revelry and uproar the
Kh[=a]n appeared at his castle gate, and without enquiring the cause
of the tumult, instantly proceeded to the harem, and lifting the
Purdah stood in the presence of his wives. 'What is this?' said he,
glancing savagely round.--'We expected your return and have prepared a
feast to welcome you,' was the ironical reply of the favourite wife,
who at the same time trembling in her limbs scarce dared to face the
enraged tyrant, 'It is a lie, offspring of a Kaffir; you shall pay the
penalty of your disobedience of my orders. Here, Saleh, take her and
throw her over the battlements into the river;' but ere the reluctant
eunuch could enforce the cruel mandate, the woman raised her hand,
and with a small dagger pierced herself to the heart. Unmoved by her
tragic fate, Zohawk instantly commanded that four of the other women
should be dealt with in the same way, and seeing the eunuch hesitate,
drew his Persian blade and rushed at him; but ere the sword fell, the
knife of Saleh was sheathed in the ruffian's breast. "The news of his
death spread rapidly through the castle; then followed the strife
of war. The Kh[=a]n's party, though in number nearly double that of
Saleh, were wearied with their recent foray, and after a desperate
conflict of three hours they were driven into one of the wings of
the castle, and butchered to a man. Blood flowed in almost every
apartment; broken swords, daggers, and matchlocks lay in all
directions, shewing how terrible the strife had been. And now, when
Zohawk's party had been exterminated, a murmuring arose amongst the
victors as to who should be the chief, and Saleh, perceiving that he
should gain nothing for the exertions he had made, demanded permission
to leave the castle, taking with him as his sole share of booty his
sister, who was an inmate of the harem. His terms were immediately
complied with, and the wary eunuch lost no time in quitting the scene
of blood.
"Those remaining agreed to defer the election of a chief till they had
refreshed themselves after their labours: in the heat of intoxication
blood again flowed, and after passing the whole night in drinking and
fighting, morning appeared to eighteen survivors of the fray. Each
still claimed for himself the chieftainship, and while still wrangling
on the subject, one of the wounded partizans of Saleh, unperceived
by the drunkards, secreted a large bag of powder in the room, and
igniting it by a train with his slow match crawled out of the castle.
"The explosion was terrific; down toppled tower and bastion,
enveloping in their ruins the remainder of the garrison, and the
castle was in a few moments reduced to the shapeless mass which it now
presents.
"The wounded author of the catastrophe alone escaped; but the
knowledge of his crimes prevented him from returning to his country,
and he wandered for many years about the blackened walls, the terror
of the neighbourhood, who considered him an evil spirit. He subsisted
on herbs growing on the adjacent mountains, till at last he
disappeared no one knew where. Since that period, the fortress has
never been the resting place of the traveller or the haunt of the
freebooter."
Such was the terrible tale of blood and wounds which my informant
communicated to me, and certainly, if it rests its foundation on any
one of the horrors with which it is filled, the castle of Zohawk does
well deserve its bad repute.
On the 23rd we left Bamee[=a]n and proceeded over the Ir[=a]k pass to
Oorgundee, where we arrived on the 28th. No event occurred nor any
thing worth mentioning, unless it be the "naïveté" of an old man, who,
observing me light my cigar with a lucifer-match, asked in a grave
and solemn tone, whether that was indeed fire. I took his finger, and
placed it in the flame, much to his astonishment, but convincing him
of its reality. He then enquired if it was the fire from heaven, which
he heard the Feringhis were possessed of. I endeavoured, but I fear
without success, to explain to the old gentleman the nature of
fulminating substances, and though he listened with patience, he was
evidently still in the dark, when I presented him with the contents
of my match-box and shewed him how to ignite them; his gratitude was
manifest, as he walked off highly pleased with his toy, which I hope
may not have burned his fingers.
Sturt left me on the 29th, being anxious to get back to Cabul; but
as I had three days to spare, and my taste for wandering was still
unabated, I joined Capt. Westmacott, of the 37th Native Infantry, in
a flying excursion into the valley of Charrik[=a]r, which the
Affgh[=a]ns consider as the garden of Cabul. The first day we rode
from Oorgundee to Shukkur Durra, or "the sugar valley," so called,
not from growing that useful article of grocery, but from its fertile
orchards and extensive vineyards. After a few miles' ride we crossed
a low range of hills, and came upon the flourishing district of
Be-tout,--literally, "without mulberries." The sagacious reader will
justly infer that mulberry trees were in profusion every where else;
indeed so plentiful are they in general that many of the natives
live almost exclusively in winter upon the fruit, which is dried and
reduced to a powder, and after being mixed with a little milk, or even
water, forms a palatable and nutritious food. The view from the
crest of the low range of hills was really enchanting, and strongly
contrasted with the wild and craggy mountains amongst which we had of
late been struggling. An extensive plain, bounded by high mountains,
and again crowned by the snowy peaks of those more distant, lay
before us, its whole surface dotted with a multitude of white forts
surrounded by a belt of the most vivid green, the barrenness of the
uncultivated spots acting as a foil to the rich vegetation which
springs under the foot of the Affgh[=a]n husbandman wherever he can
introduce the fertilizing stream. We rode leisurely on through this
wilderness of gardens, till on approaching the village of Be-tout the
loud wail of women hired to pour forth their lamentations for some
misfortune assailed our ears, and on enquiring we learnt that one
of the inhabitants had been murdered the preceding night under the
following circumstances.
It appears that ten years ago the murdered man (who was a Persian) had
a very pretty daughter, and that a neighbouring chief hearing of her
beauty caused her to be forcibly seized and conveyed to his own fort.
The father, regardless of any consideration but revenge, arming
himself with his long Affgh[=a]n knife, gained admission into the
chief's house and immediately cut him down and made his escape. For
ten years he concealed himself from the vengeance of the relatives
of the chief, but a few days before he had returned to his native
village, hoping that time would have softened the vindictiveness of
his enemy; but he shewed his ignorance of the Affgh[=a]n character,
with whom revenge is a sacred virtue. He had not been long returned,
when a nephew of the chief he had slain shot him through the heart
from behind a wall. As we passed through the village we saw the
inhabitants crowding round the still unburied corpse of the injured
father, and our thoughts were painfully diverted from a contemplation
of the richness and plenty which Providence had vouchsafed to this
fertile spot, to a mournful consideration of the wild passions of man,
who pollutes the earth with the blood of his fellow-creature.
As we proceeded onwards we came upon those luxuriant vineyards which
produce the famous Kohist[=a]n grape, of enormous size as to berry
and bunch, but excelling in delicacy of flavour, in juiciness, and
thinness of skin even the far-famed Muscadel.
The vines are trained either upon a trellice work or along the ground,
the latter mode being used for the most delicate grape; but it
requires more care and attention, it being necessary while the fruit
is ripening so to trim the plant and thin its foliage, that the branch
may have sufficient sun, and be kept as near as possible to the
earth without touching it. This mode of training is adopted in the
cultivation of the enormous black grape, called from its size and
colour "the cow's-eye." Towards evening we reached the vicinity of
Shukkur Durrah, lying at the extremity of the plain and backed by
mountains of considerable height. Here we encamped for the night under
the shelter of a magnificent walnut tree, in a small garden adjoining
the fort.
After we had pitched our tents, many Hindoos who trade in fruit, the
staple produce of the country, came to pay their respects, and one of
them informed me that about four miles across the mountains to the
north-west in the Sheikkallee Huzareh country, there were three lakes
so extensive that it occupied a well-mounted horseman a whole day to
ride round them. No European, he said, had ever visited them; one
gentleman, whose name he did not know, had tried to reach them, but
drank so much brandy by the way that he was obliged to lie down
instead, and the guide had great difficulty in getting him back. I
regretted that the expiration of my leave prevented me from exploring
these lakes, which I do not think have ever been examined by any of
our engineers; but I hope that, had I undertaken the excursion, I
should not have fallen into the same scrape the above mentioned
gentleman did. The gardens belonging to the chief were well worth
looking at, with a beautiful stream of water flowing through the
centre, tortured by artificial rocks into fifty diminutive cataracts.
We were well satisfied with our quarters, but after night-fall
intimation was given us that unless we kept a sharp look-out it was
very probable we might have some unwelcome intruders before morning,
as a neighbouring fort was hostile to that of Shukkur Durrah; and
moreover, that the inhabitants of the fort itself were in the utmost
dread of a band of desperadoes who infested the adjacent hills and
occasionally paid them a nocturnal visit. Luckily for us they were in
hourly expectation of such an intrusion, for their fears kept them
on the alert, and they had a watchman on each of the towers, whose
sonorous voices proclaimed every hour of the night. Our guard was
now reduced to six, the remainder being employed to escort Sturt's
instruments into Cabul, so that I really did not much like the
appearance of things; when about midnight my servant reported to me
that the sentry saw a great many lights moving about us.
I instantly rose and distinctly observed the lighted slow matches of
firearms; there might have been forty or fifty. The sentry challenged,
but the ruffians returned no answer, and decamped, finding us on the
alert, and probably not knowing our weakness; for had we come to blows
our party must have got the worst of it, though I have not the least
doubt that our Affgh[=a]n guard would have stood by us even against
their own countrymen.
The next morning we proceeded along a very pretty road, flanked by
green hedgerows full of wild flowers, and varied occasionally near the
houses with parterres of roses of exquisite fragrance. My route lay to
B[=a]ber's tomb, but Capt. Westmacott being anxious to reach C[=a]bul
could not accompany me, so we parted, mutually regretting that we had
so short a time to spend in this delicious region. At B[=a]ber's tomb
the Kazi of the adjacent village endeavoured to play off on me a
trick, well known to old campaigners, by assuring me that unless I
took from his hands a guard of at least twelve men (of course paying
them for their services), my life would not be safe during the night.
I refused his guard, and the only annoyance I experienced was from
myriads of musquitoes, who tormented me incessantly throughout the
night. I rode into camp the following day, and was delighted to find
myself once more with my brother officers.