A loud explosion--Persian military officers--Dr. Abbas Ali Khan,
British Agent in Birjand--His excellent work--Gratefulness of the
natives--A quaint letter--The Russian Agent--A Russian temporary
score--More British Consulates needed--Visits returned--Altitude
and temperature of Birjand--Cossacks and their houses--A bright
scene in a graveyard--Departure of Indian pilgrims for
Meshed--British Consular postal service--Russian post--Making up
a second caravan.
Early in the morning of the 26th I was awakened by a fearful explosion
that shook the caravanserai and made everything in the room rattle. A few
minutes later there was a second report and then a third and fourth,
twelve altogether, but these fortunately not quite so loud. Evidently my
military friends of the previous day were firing off their artillery.
Shortly after this, in their gaudy uniforms and with a guard of soldiers,
the officers came to call upon me at the caravanserai.
"Have you heard the guns being fired?" was their first anxious question.
Indeed I had. It appears that to make sure that I should hear them a
double charge of powder was placed in the first gun. When it was let off
in the very small court of the citadel the concussion had most
disastrous effects upon the mud walls all round, as well as upon some of
the spectators who were close at hand and who were nearly stunned by the
fearful report.
The officers were extremely civil, intelligent and full of humour.
Intense astonishment and interest was shown in my repeating rifles. They
had never set their eyes upon, nor ever heard that there was such a thing
as, a repeating rifle! I was, nevertheless, much struck by their
quickness compared with that of the average European, in grasping the
mechanism and the way to use the weapons.
They seemed fully to realize that it would be of little practical use to
defend Birjand city in case of an attack, because it could be commanded
from several excellent positions close at hand to the north-east, north
and north-west. Furthermore, the water supply could easily be cut off.
They told me, if I remember right, that it was the intention of the
Persian Government to strengthen this place and that some more pieces of
artillery were expected.
We have in Birjand an Indian doctor, by name Abbas Ali Khan, who acts as
British Agent. He is a young fellow of uncommon ability and education, a
capital doctor, and a most gentlemanly man, who has had great experience
of the world, having travelled with several political missions in various
parts of Asia, including the Pekin Syndicate Survey expedition under
command of J. W. Purvis, Captain R. E., where not only did he look after
the medical necessities of a large party of Europeans, Indians and
Chinese, but helped to manage a large transport of mule carts. Captain
Purvis testifies to Abbas Ali having performed his professional duties
with zeal, and extraneous duties cheerfully, during a journey of some
2,000 miles through China.
It was in April, 1897, that Abbas Ali Khan, at twenty-four hours' notice,
accompanied Major Brazier Creagh's Mission to Sistan, when British
influence in that part of Persia was non-existent. The Mission returned
to India in October of the same year, but Abbas Ali was sent on a second
journey to Sistan in charge of a small party from December, 1897, to
July, 1898, when he was entrusted with political business which required
great discretion and tact.
It is greatly to his credit that he managed--in spite of many
difficulties and obstacles--to win the confidence and friendship of
officials of a district where all British subjects were regarded with
undisguised suspicion and distrust. No better proof of this could be
furnished than by reproducing here a literal translation of a quaint
document, dated May, 1898, given him, unsolicited, by Mir Masum Sar-tip,
Deputy Governor of Sistan, whose official seal it bears:--
"God is acquainted with what is in the minds of men. Beyond doubt
and without hesitation it is rightly and justly stated that
Military Doctor Mirza Abbas Ali Khan has during the period of his
stay in Sistan displayed his personal tact and natural ability.
He has treated with great civility and politeness any person who
has applied to him for medical attendance and treatment of
diseases, and has in no case whatever demanded payment or
anything from anybody. He has never hesitated to give gratuitous
medical aid with medicines or personal attendance, and all the
natives from the highest to the lowest are well satisfied and
under great obligation to him. It is hoped that the trouble taken
and the pecuniary loss suffered by him will be appreciated by his
Government. I have personally greatly benefited by his treatment
of my personal diseases and ailments and I trust that he will
receive great favour from his Government."
Naturally the medicines are supplied to him by the Government, but it
would be becoming if the Government saw its way to reward men of this
type for the "soul" which they put into their work, for this it is after
all that wins the esteem of the natives more than the actual cost of the
medicines. A few grains of quinine, or a few ounces of castor oil have
often been the means of obtaining information and advantages for the
British Government, which, if properly used, may be worth millions of
pounds sterling.
It is to these pioneers that the nation should be grateful, to these
people who build sound foundations on which the Empire can spread without
fear of collapsing we are indebted far more than to the folks who stop at
home and reap with little trouble the credit of the work which has been
done by others.
Abbas Ali has gained a most intimate knowledge of the country and people,
which gives him enormous influence, and he has been the means of
smoothing the way to a considerable extent for the new trade route to
Quetta. Major Chevenix Trench, Consul at Meshed, fully testifies to this,
and speaks very highly of Abbas Ali's political work, and so does Captain
Webb-Ware, in charge of the Nushki-Sistan road, who writes that in his
belief the growth of British influence in Sistan and Birjand is due in no
small degree to the tact, discretion, and conscientious discharge of
duties of Abbas Ali.
Abbas Ali was ordered again to Persia in August, 1899, and has remained
there since, stationed at Birjand.
The Russians have established a rival agent to look after their own
interests, in the person of Veziroff Gazumbek, a Perso-Russian subject
and a Mussulman. This man very politely called upon me in great state,
wearing a decoration of the third class which had just been bestowed upon
him by the Shah, and accompanied by four Cossacks who were on their way
to the Russian Consulate at Sistan to relieve the escort there. He and
Abbas Ali were socially and outwardly on excellent terms, but great
rivalry necessarily existed in their work.
The Russian had gained a temporary advantage in the eyes of the natives
by the honour conferred upon him by the Shah, and it was a pity that an
exception to the general rule could not be made and a similar or higher
honour obtained for Abbas Ali, whose work certainly deserves--one would
think--some consideration. Matters of that sort, although of absolutely
no significance in themselves, are of great importance in a country like
Persia, where appearances cannot altogether be neglected.
The British Government, one feels, makes a primary and most palpable
mistake in not being represented by more English Consular officials, not
necessarily sent by the London Foreign Office, but rather of that most
excellent type, the military Political servants, such as those who are
now found in some few Persian cities. The establishment of a
vice-Consulate here at Birjand instead of a Medical Political Agency
would, I think, also, be of very great help at the present moment and
would increase British prestige there.
The afternoon of that day was spent in returning the visits of Abbas Ali
Khan, the Russian Agent, and the Karghazar. Everywhere I met with extreme
civility. Both the British and the Russian Agent lived in nice houses,
handsomely carpeted and furnished, only Abbas Ali's place had a more
business-like appearance than that of the Russian because of the many
books, the red cross trunks of medicine and surgical instruments and
folding camp furniture. The house of the Russian was practically in
Persian style, with handsome carpets and cushions, but with hardly any
European chairs or furniture.
Birjand is very high up, 5,310 ft. above sea level, and we did not feel
any too warm. The thermometer was seldom more than 60° in the shade
during the day, and from 40° to 50° at night.
In the evenings the four Cossacks of the Sistan Consular escort, who had
been detained here, and occupied one of the rooms of the caravanserai,
sat out in the open singing with melodious voices in a chorus the weird
songs of their country. These men were really wonderful. They had come
down from Turkestan, a journey of close upon five hundred miles, riding
their own horses, with only a few roubles in their pockets, and little
more than the clothing they wore, their rifles, and bandoliers of
cartridges. The affection for their horses was quite touching, and it was
fully reciprocated by the animals. One or two of the men slept by the
horses so that no one should steal them, and the animals were constantly
and tenderly looked after.
There was a bright scene in the graveyard behind the caravanserai, the
day that all the women went to visit the graves and to lay offerings of
food, rice and dried fruit upon the tombs of their dead. Little conical
white tents were pitched by hawkers, and dozens of women in their white
chudders prowled about like so many ghosts, or else squatted down in rows
beside or upon the graves. The doleful voices of blind beggars sang
mournful tunes, and cripples of all kinds howled for charity.
A Persian crowd is always almost colourless, and hardly relieved by an
occasional touch of green in the men's kamarbands or a bright spot of
vermilion in the children's clothes. The illustration representing the
scene, shows on the left-hand side of the observer, the ruined fortress
at the western end of the city of Birjand, and the near range of hills to
the north-west which, as I mentioned, would afford most excellent
positions for artillery for commanding Birjand. The domed building in the
centre of the photograph is one of the dead-houses adjoining every
cemetery in Persia, to which the bodies are conveyed and prepared
previous to interment.
The Persian Government have a Belgian Customs official in Birjand, but he
generally spends much of his time travelling along the Afghan frontier.
He had left Birjand when I arrived.
[Illustration: Women Visiting Graves of Relatives, Birjand. (Ruined Fort
can be observed on Hill.)]
With more pity than regret I watched at the caravanserai the departure of
the Indian pilgrims for the Shrine at Meshed. They had obtained a number
of donkeys and mules, and were having endless rows with the natives about
payment. Eventually, however, the caravanserai court having been a
pandemonium for several hours, all was settled, their rags were packed in
bundles upon the saddles, and the skeleton-like pilgrims, shivering with
fever, were shoved upon the top of the loads. There was more fanaticism
than life left in them.
The four Cossacks, also, who were at the caravanserai received orders to
leave at once for their post at Sistan, and gaily departed in charge of
the British Consular courier who was to show them the way.
This courier travels from Meshed to Sistan with relays of two horses
each, in connection with the Quetta-Sistan postal service. The service is
worked entirely by the Consuls and by the Agent at Birjand, and is
remarkably good and punctual considering the difficulties encountered.
There is also a Persian postal service of some sort, but unfortunate is
the person who rashly entrusts letters to it. Even the Persian officials
themselves prefer to use the English post. The Russians have established
a similar service from their frontier to Sistan, but it does not run so
frequently.
The making up a second caravan in a hurry was no easy matter, but
eventually I was able to persuade one of the men who had accompanied me
across the Salt Desert to procure fresh camels and convey me there. This
he did, and after a halt of three days we were on the road again to cross
our third desert between Birjand and Sistan, a distance of some 210
miles.