AT THE COURT OF THE AMÎR
[Illustration:
The Amîr of Afghanistan, from a painting by the Author.]
AT THE
COURT OF THE AMÎR
A NARRATIVE
BY
JOHN ALFRED GRAY, M.B. LOND.
LATE SURGEON TO H.H. THE AMÎR OF AFGHANISTAN
[Illustration: HAND-MADE AFGHAN RUPEE
STAMPED “AMÎR ABDURRAHMAN.”]
LONDON
RICHARD BENTLEY AND SON
Publishers in Ordinary to Her Majesty the Queen
1895
[_All Rights Reserved_]
THE APOLOGY.
I would not have thought of inflicting a book on my long-suffering
fellow-countrymen, but for the wish expressed by my publishers: for
“Every fool describes in these bright days
His wondrous journey to some Foreign Court.”
In Afghanistan however, difficult of access, and hence comparatively
unknown, there have been, since that strong man Amîr Abdurrahman
ascended the Throne, such remarkable changes in the administration of
the country, and such strides towards civilization, that it was thought
a narrative of life there, throwing, possibly, some light on the
personality of the Monarch, and on the “bent” of the people, might be
of general interest.
The book has been written in the intervals of professional work, and,
with its shortcomings of diction and style, the only merit it can
claim--that of “local colour”--is due to the fact that it was compiled
from the letters I wrote from Afghanistan to her who is now my wife.
WADHAM LODGE,
UXBRIDGE ROAD,
EALING, W.
CONTENTS.
PAGE
CHAPTER I.
ON THE ROAD TO KABUL
The start and the wherefore. Unsettled condition of Afghanistan.
Departure from Peshawur. Jumrûd Fort and the Watch-tower. The Afghan
guard. The Khyber defile. Eccentricities of Rosinante. Lunch at Ali
Musjid. Pathan villages. Pathans, their appearance and customs. Arrival
at Landi-Kotal Serai. The Shenwari country. Caravan of Traders. Dakka.
Dangers of the Kabul River. Mussaks. Camp at Bassawal. Chahardeh.
Mountain road by the river. Distant view of Jelalabad.
CHAPTER II.
ARRIVAL AT KABUL
Arrival at Jelalabad, Reception by the Governor. The Palace. The
Town. The Plain. Quarters in the Guest Pavilion. The friendly Khan.
Tattang and the gunpowder factory. The Royal gardens at Nimla. The
Suffêd Koh Mountains. Arboreal distribution in Afghanistan. Gundamuk.
Assassination of Cavagnari: details of the plot. The “Red bridge.”
Commencement of mountainous ascent to Kabul. Jigdilik. Massacre of
British in 1837. Former dangers of the valley of Katasang. Enterprising
peasants. Tomb in the Sei Baba valley. Burial customs. The Lataband
Pass and the Iron Cage. Distant view of Kabul. The Amîr’s projected
road at Lataband. The approach to Kabul. The Lahore Gate.
CHAPTER III.
THE RECEPTION
Position of Kabul. Its defences. Amîr’s opinion of the Founders of
his Capital. Entry into Kabul. Aspect of the Townsmen. Arrival at the
Arm Foundry. Visit of the Afghan Official. His appearance. Absence of
Amîr. To be received at the Palace by the Princes. The approach to
the Palace. The Amîr’s Pavilion. Page boys. The Princes Habibullah
and Nasrullah. The Reception. Internal arrangement of Pavilion. The
earthquake. Abrupt ending of the Reception. Other buildings in the
Palace.
CHAPTER IV.
AFGHAN HOSPITALS
The first attendance at an Afghan Hospital. Its arrangement. The
drugs and instruments. The Patients. An Interpreter presents himself.
Dispensers. Marvellous recovery of the Page boy. Its effect. Buildings
near the Hospital. The Durbar Hall and Guest House. The Sherpûr
Military Hospital. Lord Roberts and the Sherpûr Cantonment. Adventure
with an Afghan soldier. Arrangement of the In-patient Hospital. Diet of
Patients. Attendance of Hakims. Storekeepers and their ways.
CHAPTER V.
AFGHAN DWELLINGS
The Residential streets of Kabul. Their appearance and arrangement. The
Police. Criminal Punishments. The Houses. Their internal arrangement.
Precautions to ensure privacy. Manner of building for the rich and
for the poor. Effect of rain and earthquake. The warming of houses in
winter. Afternoon teas. Bath-houses. The Afghan bath.
CHAPTER VI.
THE KABUL BAZAARS
The unpopular Governor and his toothache. The meeting in the Erg
Bazaar. Appearance of the Kabul Bazaars. The shops and their
contents. Boots, shoes, and cobblers. Copper workers. The tinning of
cooking pots. Impromptu tobacco pipes. Tobacco smoking by the Royal
Family. Silk and cotton. “Bargaining.” “Restaurants.” Tea drinking.
Confectioners. The baker’s oven. Flour mills. The butcher’s shop.
Postîns and their cost. Furs. Ironmongers. Arms. “The German sword.”
The Afghan tulwar. Rifles and pistols. Bows. Silver and gold-smiths.
Caps and turbans. Embroidery. Grocers: tea, sugar, soap, and candles,
and where they come from. Fruiterers. Tailors. “The Railway Guard.”
Costume of the Kabuli townsmen. Personal effect of the Amîr on costume.
Drug shops.
CHAPTER VII.
ETHICS
Sir S. Pyne’s adventure in the Kabul river. The Tower on the bank.
Minars of Alexander. Mahomedan Mosques. The cry of the Priest. Prayers
and Religious Processions. Afghan conception of God. Religious and
non-Religious Afghans. The schoolhouse and the lessons. Priests.
Sêyids: descendants of the Prophet. The lunatic Sêyid. The Hafiz who
was fined. The Dipsomaniac. The Chief of the Police and his ways.
Danger of prescribing for a prisoner. “The Thing that walks at night.”
The end of the Naib. Death-bed services. The Governor of Bamian.
Courtship and weddings among the Afghans. The formal proposal by a
Superior Officer. The wedding of Prince Habibullah. Priests as healers
of the sick. The “Evil Eye.” Ghosts.
CHAPTER VIII.
AFGHAN SURGEONS AND PHYSICIANS
Accidents from machinery in motion. The “dressers of wounds” in
Afghanistan. Their methods of treating wounds, and the results of
the same. The “Barber surgeons.” Tooth drawing and bleeding. The
Hindustani “Doctors.” “Eye Doctors” and their work. The Hakims or
Native Physicians. Treatment of disease by the People. Aspect in which
European Physicians are viewed by the different Classes.
CHAPTER IX.
THE MARCH TO TURKESTAN
Jealousy and its results. Sport among the Afghans. The “Sportsmen”
among the mountains. Order to join the Amîr in Turkestan. Preparations.
Camp at Chiltan. The Banquet. The Nautch dance. Among the Hindu Kush
mountains. The camp in the Hazara country. Courtesy of Jan Mahomed.
Mountain paths. Iron spring. The underground river and the Amîr’s
offer. The Red mountain and the Deserted City. Camp in the Valley
of Bamian. The English prisoners of 1837. The Petrified Dragon. The
Colossal Idols: The Cave-dwellers. The Pass of the “Tooth-breaker.”
Ghuzniguk. Story of Ishak’s rebellion. Tash Kurghán: the Shave and the
Hospital. “The Valley of Death.” The Plains of Turkestan and the heat
thereof. The Mirage. Arrival at Mazar. The House. Story of the death of
Amîr Shere Ali.
CHAPTER X.
THE AMÎR
To be “presented.” The Palace Gardens. The Amîr. Questions asked by
His Highness. Punishment of rebellious in Afghanistan. Asiatic motives
from European standpoint. Amîr’s arrangement for my safety. Bazaars
and houses of Mazar. The Suburbs. The Military Hospital. The Patients.
Afghan appreciation of European medical treatment. The two chief
Hakims. Hindustani intrigue. Amîr’s sense of Justice. The Trial. A
Courtier’s influence. The guard of the Amîr’s table.
CHAPTER XI.
LIFE IN TURKESTAN
General Nassir Khan. The Belgian’s Request. Escape of Allah Nûr:
his Capture. The Amîr’s Decision. The Turkestan Commander-in-Chief.
Operation on Allah Nûr. The Armenian’s Comments. Illness of Hadji Jan
Mahomed. Excursion to Takh-ta-Pûl. Fortune-telling among the Afghans.
The Policeman-cook and the Lunch. Balkh. The Mosque at Mazar-i-Sherif
and its Miracles. Called to His Highness. The Cool-air Pavilion.
Illness of the British Agent: the Armenian’s advice: the Answer from
the Amîr. Brigadier Hadji-Gul Khan. Afghan Endurance of Suffering.
Euclid and Cards.
CHAPTER XII.
THE INHABITANTS OF AFGHANISTAN
Slaves in Kabul: prisoners of war and others. The frequent rebellions.
The different nationalities in Afghanistan. Origin of the Afghan
race. The Turk Sabaktakin. Mahmûd of Ghuzni. Buddhism displaced by
Mahomedanism. Border Afghans. Duranis. Ghilzais. Founding of a Dynasty
of Afghan Kings. Ahmad Shah. Timûr Shah. The Sons of Timûr. Zaman Shah.
The Afghan “Warwick.” Execution of Paînda. Rebellion of the Shah’s
brother. Mahmûd Shah. Another brother rebels. Shujah-ul-Mulk crowned:
deposed by the Barakzai chief. Exile of Shujah. The Koh-i-nûr. The
Puppet-king and the Barakzai Wazir. Murder of the Wazir. The Wazir’s
brother becomes Amîr. The first Afghan War. Rule of Dôst Mahomed: A
Standing Army established. Accession of Shere Ali. Amîr Afzal Khan.
Abdurrahman. The Ghilzais. Border Pathans, Afridis, Shinwaris. The
Hazaras. Turkomans, Usbàks. The Christian Church.
CHAPTER XIII.
THE BIRTH OF PRINCE MAHOMED OMER
Hazara slaves, Kaffir slaves, and others. Court Pages. High positions
occupied by slaves. Price of slaves. Wife and children of Hazara
Chief in slavery. Illness of the Hostage of an Afghan Chief. Abdur
Rashid down with fever. Own illness and the aches thereof. The
British Agent’s postal arrangements. Postage in Afghanistan. Power of
annoying possessed by Interpreters. The Chief Bugler. The Page boy
and the Sirdar. The Page boy and the Amîr. The uproar on September
15th. Congratulations to the Sultana. The crowd outside the Harem
Serai. The Sultana’s reply. Matter of succession complicated. Surgical
operations. The Priest with a blemish: his request. The Amîr’s reply.
The operation. The Mirza’s comments.
CHAPTER XIV.
THE REARING OF THE INFANT PRINCE
The Amîr’s autograph letter. Medical consultation concerning the
rearing of the Prince. Conflicting customs of the Orient and the
Occident. Conservative nurses. The “Hakim fair to see”: the patient.
Lessons in Persian and in English. Portrait painting. Dietary
difficulties. Gracious acts of His Highness. Amîr’s letter of
condolence. The Royal visit by deputy. Congratulations of the British
Agent. Accident to the favourite Page. The khirgar. Attempt upon the
life of the Amîr. An earthquake. Afghan appreciation of pictures and
jokes. Generosity of the Amîr. The first winter Durbar. The Royal
costume. The Amîr’s question: the Parable. The dining-room. The guests.
The breakfast. The press of State business. Amîr’s thoughtful kindness.
Visit to the Commander-in-Chief. The ride to the Hospital. Adventure
with the “fool horse.” Hospital patients in winter. “Two much and three
much.”
CHAPTER XV.
THE AMÎR’S CONVERSATION
Sent for to the Palace. Fragility of Europeans. The Amîr’s postîn. The
Bedchamber. The King’s evening costume. The guests. The Amîr’s illness.
School in the Durbar-room. The Amîr’s conversation. Khans: the water
supply of London: plurality of wives. The Amîr is bled. His Highness a
physician in Turkestan. Drawing. The Amîr’s portrait. Amîr’s choice of
costume. The Shah of Persia. Portraits of the Shah. The rupee and the
Queen’s portrait. Cigar holders. Concerning Afghan hillmen. Dinner.
The Amîr’s domestic habits. Amîr’s consideration for subordinates.
European customs. The new Kabul. Native drugs. Soup and beef tea. The
paper trick. The Kafir Page. European correspondence. Vaccination of
Prince Mahomed Omer. Afghan women. The Prince’s house. The Prince. The
operation. Abdul Wahid. Afghan desire for vaccination. The Armenian’s
useful sagacity. An Afghan superstition. The Agent’s secretary. His
comments upon Bret Harte: the meaning of “By Jove.” European “divorce”
from an Oriental point of view.
CHAPTER XVI.
THE FIRST SITTING
Morning prayers. Early tea. Breakfast. The first sitting for the Amîr’s
portrait. The Courtier’s criticism. The Amîr’s rebuke. The Deputation.
Conversation with the Amîr: the climate of England and Australia. Awe
of the Courtiers. The favourite Page boy’s privileges. Serious incident
at a sitting. The Captain’s toothache. Present of a rifle from the
Amîr. The shooting expedition and its dangers. Courage of the “Burma
policeman.” The eccentric rider. The singing Afghan. The scenery of
Mazar. Salutations in the market place. The meeting with Prince Amin
Ullah.
CHAPTER XVII.
THE AMÎR AS AN ART CRITIC
The “villain” cook. Mental effect of a cold in the head. Portrait of
the infant Prince. The Amîr’s reflection in the window. The Amîr as
an Art Critic. Salaams to the King’s Portrait. The Amîr’s toilet. A
shooting expedition. The mud of Mazar. The Armenian’s comments. The
sample case of cigars. The Amîr’s handwriting. A sunset.
CHAPTER XVIII.
THE LEVEE ON NEW YEAR’S DAY
The Mahomedan New Year’s Eve. Presents. The “Izzat” medal. Coinage
of Afghanistan: Rupees: Pice: the “Tilla.” Levee on New Year’s Day.
The guests: Maleks and Governors: the British Agent. Presents to the
Amîr. Chess as played in Afghanistan. The Amîr as a Pathologist. The
steam-engine pony. Sight-seeing with the Princes. The Temple of Mazar.
The booths at the entrance to the Temple. The Park of Mazar. Native
music. The Afghan dance. Kabuli wrestling.
CHAPTER XIX.
THE YOUNG PRINCES
Infant Prince as the Sultana’s Deputy. Reception by the Prince:
the pavilion: the guard: costume. Visit to Prince Hafiz Ullah. Her
Majesty’s photograph. Lunch with the Prince in the Palace Gardens. The
“Royal manner.” The mother of Prince Hafiz Ullah. A drawing of the
Prince. Adventure with the fat General. The power of the Amîr’s name.
The Amîr as a Consulting Surgeon. The Fast of Ramazàn. Overdose of
tobacco. The Evening Durbar. Danger if a King fasts; “Marazàn.” The
Durbar. The surgical operation: attempted vendetta. Flowers in the
Palace. The Usbàk’s artistic design. The Amîr’s diary. The present of
sugar. Official notice of return march to Kabul. The “Cracker.” End of
Ramazàn. The guard of Amazons.
CHAPTER XX.
THE RETURN JOURNEY TO KABUL
Loading up. The first camp. Tropical heat: the whirlwind. The Amîr’s
khirgar. Scanty rations. Midnight marching. Dangers in the pitchy
darkness. Impure water. Daybreak. The second camp. Lost on the plains.
Naibabad: the rain. The march to Tash Kurghan. The Khulm Pass. Sight
seeing from the house tops. The Durbar. Punishment of the unjust
townsfolk. The Amîr’s health. The eclipse of the sun. On the march
again: the dust: jammed in the valleys. Ghuzniguk. An Afghan “Good
Samaritan.” A poisonous sting: the Amîr’s remedy. A block on the road.
The tiger valley. Haibuk. Adventure with the elephant: the somnolent
Afghan. The aqueduct. Discomforts of a camp in an orchard.
CHAPTER XXI.
THE ARRIVAL IN KABUL
The Durbar in Haibuk. “Rustom’s throne.” The ancient caves. The
wounded Governor: Kabul dentistry. The erring Hakim. Courtesy of His
Highness. “Microbes.” Elephant riding. A grateful peasant. Dangerous
passes. The Durbar at Shush-Bûrjah: the hot river. Accidents on the
“Tooth-breaker.” Akrab-Abad. The camp of the camels. A pet dog. Evil
results of “temper.” A cheap banquet. Coal. Arrival of Englishmen.
Durbar at Kalai Kasi. The Amîr again as a physician. Approach to Kabul.
Reception by the Princes. The “High garden.” The Pavilion. Malek the
Page. Arrival of the Amîr. The Reception. Arrival at the Workshops.
Hospitality.
CHAPTER XXII.
LIFE IN KABUL
The Îd festival: salaam to the Amîr: the educating of Afghans. Products
of the Workshops. Royal lunch at Endekki: the Invitation: the Brougham:
the Palace: the Drawing-room: the Piano. Evening illumination of
gardens: dinner. The unreliable Interpreter. A night at the Palace.
Commencement of intrigue. Gifts to the Amîr. The rebuke to Prince
Nasrullah. Noah’s Ark: the nodding images. Illness again: the Amîr’s
advice. An afternoon call. Illness of the Amîr: the visit: His
Highness’s question: the Amîr’s good breeding. An earthquake. Report on
Kabul brandy: Mr. Pyne’s opinion: the Amîr’s perplexity. The Hindu’s
objection. The mysterious midnight noise: the solution of the mystery.
Mumps. The wedding of Prince Nasrullah: invitation from the Sultana:
the Fête: a band of pipers. The Prince and his bride. Overwork at the
Hospital. One of the troubles of a Ruler. Scenery near Bala Hissar. The
Amîr duck shooting. The sick chief: his imprudence: his amusements. The
will of the clan.
CHAPTER XXIII.
THE AMÎR’S ILLNESS
Sent for to the Palace. The Amîr’s health: the Liniment. Questions
in chemistry. Early breakfast at the Palace. A courtier as a waiter.
Called to Prince Aziz Ullah: his illness. Illness of the Deputy
Commander-in-Chief. A visit to Prince Mahomed Omer. The Queen’s
brougham: her Reverend Uncle. The Jelalabad official and his promise.
Dinner with Mr. Pyne. Death of Prince Aziz Ullah. The Chief ill again.
The weather. The silence at the Palace. December 2nd: the Call. The
town at night. Illness of the Amîr: former treatment. The Amîr’s
prayer. Bulletins. Called to the Sultana. The Harem. The Sultana’s
illness. A poisonous dose. Improvement of Amîr: and of Sultana. The
innocent plot. A present. Musicians. Amîr and Sultana as patients.
Annoyances by an interpreter. A shock. The Sultana’s letter. News from
Malek, the Page. In the Harem: the Armenian’s comments. Quarters in the
Prince’s quadrangle. The Amîr’s relapse.
CHAPTER XXIV.
ROYAL PATIENTS
The Hindustani Interpreter. The Amîr as a host: the Sultana as hostess.
The Amîr’s photograph. The Sultana’s name. Sirdar, the girl-boy. The
sleeping draught. The tea cup and the thermometer. The Christmas
Dinner: the guests: the menu: music. The Amîr’s fainting attack: the
remedy: effect on the physician: the substituted remedy: further
effect on the physician; the Amîr’s prescription. The Amîr’s alarming
nervous symptoms. Hospital cases. Duties of the Princes Habibullah and
Nasrullah.
CHAPTER XXV.
A KABUL WINTER
Hindustani intrigue: information from the British Agent: offer of
assistance: measures for protection: further intrigue. The “Royal
manner.” The two factions: Habibullah: Mahomed Omer. The question of
succession. Return to the City House and English Society: the cold of
Kabul. The naked beggar boy. The old Kabul bridge. The question of
“bleeding.” Disbanding of a Shiah regiment. Amîr’s advice to his sons.
Improvement in Amîr’s health. The Hindustani again: Sabbath. The Afghan
noble as workshop superintendent. New Year sports. The grand stand:
the crowd: refreshments. Horse-racing: collisions. Tent pegging and
its dangers. Lemon slicing. Displays of horsemanship. Amîr’s absence
from the sports. The Naû Rôz levee. Salaam to the Sultana. Amîr in the
Salaam Khana: reception of the Maleks and merchants: presents. The
Princes standing before the Amîr. Reception of the English engineers:
the “White-beard:” his age: the Amîr’s surprise.
CHAPTER XXVI.
A KABUL SPRING
Spring clothing: a grateful Afghan. Poison bowls. A haunted house:
the skeleton in the garden. Increase of patients. Called to the
Palace: Amîr’s costume. Troubles of a Ruler: Secretary in disgrace.
Amîr’s plans for the future. Geologists in the service. Occidental v.
Oriental. Mercantile commissions. The Armenian’s leave. The locusts.
Prince Mahomed Omer and his Lâla. The Palace gardens. A military
Durbar. Amîr’s thoughtfulness. A portrait. Amîr’s opinion of his
people: education of his soldiers. The arrest: murder of the prisoner:
the Amîr’s decision. Ramazàn. Rising of the river. The Íd Festival. The
Physician’s plans: the Amîr’s comment. Prince Habibullah’s portrait:
Prince Nasrullah’s portrait: his remark.
CHAPTER XXVII.
ON LEAVE
The last Durbar: the Amîr’s remark: a wedding present. The journey
down. An awful day: “difficult hot.” Exhaustion. The work of the
locusts. The breeding establishment: a study in colour. An illegal
march. Simla. The Despatch. Dinners and dances. The study of character.
The Armenian in London. Return to India.
CHAPTER XXVIII.
THE WELCOME TO KABUL
Pathan rifle thieves. Dacca. The midnight alarm: the melée. “Bally
rascals.” The next morning. The terror of the Amîr’s name. Running
postmen. Kabul post. Armenian’s opinion of London. Changes in the
English “staff.” Visitors: letters. Lady doctor’s application. Salaam
to the Amîr. His Highness’s welcome. The military Durbar. Presents. The
new British Agent. Visit to the Sultana. Salaam to Prince Habibullah.
Another visit to the Amîr: his appreciation of scenic effect. His
answer to the lady doctor’s application.
CHAPTER XXIX.
THE CHOLERA
Ramazàn. The outbreak of Cholera. Precautions. Notices in the bazaars.
Rapid spread. European medicine. The overwhelming dread. Processions
to the Mosque. Oriental fatalism. The shadow of death. Removal of the
Court to the mountains. Closure of the workshops. The Armenian as an
Inspector. The Prince’s chamberlain. Death of the Dabier-ul-Mulk.
The mortality. An incident. Afghan appreciation of British motives.
Arrival of an Englishman with thoroughbred horses. Dying out of the
Cholera. Visit to Paghman. The soldiers in chains. Anger of the Amîr.
An earthquake: the Amîr as a scientist. Illness of the “Keeper of the
Carpets.” Arrival of Mr. Pyne and other Englishmen. Another visit to
the Amîr. His Highness’s description of a Royal illness. Dinner from
the Palace: the sealed dishes.
CHAPTER XXX.
ANOTHER WINTER
A political Durbar: tact of the Amîr: a friendly soldier. The banquet.
Return of the Cholera. Essay on “Precautionary measures.” Health of
the English in Kabul. Report to the Amîr: His Highness’s kindness.
Visit to Prince Nasrullah: a “worm-eaten” tooth: the operation. Erring
Englishmen: the Amîr’s remedy. Amîr as a chess-player. The far-sighted
Armenian: winter quarters. End of the Cholera. Invasion of Small-pox
and Erysipelas. To Paghman: Portrait of Prince Mahomed Omer: present
from the Sultana. The sketch of the Prince: resemblance to the Amîr:
his costume: arrangement of the group. Present of a slave boy. A lesson
in courtesy to the Page boys. Native dinners. Visit of Mr. Pyne: the
sandali. Completion of the portrait. The Amîr’s remark. Sultana’s gift
to the Paghmanis: Afghan mode of slaughtering. Ride to Kabul: the mud.
The Afghan Agent: the “Gnat.” Sent for to the Palace: a Landscape
Commission: postponement of leave; disappointment: the Amîr’s remedy.
Christmas dinner at the shops. The “Health of Her Majesty.”
CHAPTER XXXI.
ADIEU TO KABUL
Afghan artists. Presentation of the little Prince’s portrait. His
quarters at the Palace. The Prince as a host. A walk in the Kabul
Bazaars. Before the Amîr: landscapes. A fresh commission. The “Gnat’s”
interpreting. The Amîr’s answer. Art pupils before the Amîr. The
Amîr’s kindly remark. The miner’s dog: shattered nerves and surgical
operations. The worries of Kabul life. To Paghman: the glens: the spy.
Sketches. Before the Amîr. A fresh Commission. Adieux.
CHAPTER XXXII.
THE ARGUMENT
Afghan court life from an English standpoint. The Afghan Courtier.
Untrustworthiness. Intrigue. Question of “cause” or “consequence.”
Possibility of raising the moral plane. The Amîr’s obvious opinion.
His Highness’s great work. Certain evils. Former condition of the
middle classes: present condition: opening of the eyes: comparison with
similar class in India. Progress in Afghanistan. Civilizing effect of
the Amîr. Dôst Mahomed’s rule: comparison with Abdurrahman. Altered
condition of country. The Amîr’s civilizing measures: drastic measures.
Peaceful measures: education: the teaching of handicrafts: of art: the
spreading of knowledge: prizes for good or original work. Personal
fascination of the Amîr.
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
TROPHY OF AFGHAN ARMS
PORTRAIT OF HIS HIGHNESS THE AMÎR (from a Painting by the Author)
OBVERSE OF HAND-MADE CABUL RUPEE OF THE PRESENT REIGN
COLOSSAL FIGURE “SA-MAMA” IN THE BAMIAN VALLEY (from a Photograph
by Arthur Collins, F.G.S.)
THE AUTHOR AND THE ARMENIAN INTERPRETER (from a Photograph by
Van der Weyde)
PRINCE MAHOMED OMER AND HIS “COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF” (from a Photograph
by Arthur Collins, F.G.S.)
AT THE COURT OF THE AMÎR.
CHAPTER I.
ON THE ROAD TO KABUL.
The start and the wherefore. Unsettled condition of Afghanistan.
Departure from Peshawur. Jumrûd Fort and the Watch-tower, The
Afghan guard. The Khyber defile. Eccentricities of Rosinante.
Lunch at Ali Musjid. Pathan villages. Pathans, their appearance
and customs. Arrival at Landi Kotal Serai. The Shenwari country.
Caravan of Traders. Dakka. Dangers of the Kabul River, Mussaks.
Camp at Bassawal. Chahardeh. Mountain road by the river. Distant
view of Jelalabad.
It was with no small amount of pleasurable excitement that I donned
the Afghan turban, and with Sir Salter (then Mr.) Pyne and two other
English engineers, started from Peshawur for Kabul to enter the service
of the Amîr.
I had made the acquaintance of Mr. Pyne in London, where I was holding
a medical appointment. He had returned to England, after his first
short visit to Kabul, with orders from the Amîr to buy machinery,
procure engineering assistants, and engage the services of an English
surgeon.
I gathered from his yarns that, for Europeans at the present day, life
among the Afghans was likely to be a somewhat different thing from what
it was a few years ago.
In the reigns of Dost Mahomed and Shere Ali it was simply an
impossibility for a European to take up a permanent residence in
Afghanistan; in fact, except for occasional political missions, none
was allowed to enter the country.
We do, indeed, hear of one or two, travelling in disguise, who managed
to gather valuable facts concerning the country and its inhabitants,
but we learn from their narratives that the hardships they were forced
to undergo were appalling. For ages it has been a proverb among the
natives of India that he who goes to Kabul carries his life in his
hand. They say, “Trust a cobra, but never an Afghan;” and there is no
denying the fact that the people of Afghanistan have had the credit
from time immemorial of being a turbulent nation of highway robbers
and murderers. If there were any chance of plunder they spared not
even their co-religionists, and, being fanatical Mahomedans, they were
particularly “down” on any unfortunate traveller suspected of being a
Feringhi and an infidel.
A busy professional life following upon the engrossing studies of
Hospital and University, had given me neither time nor any particular
inducement to read about Afghanistan, so that when I left England I
knew very little about the country. However, on reaching India I found
plenty of people ready enough to enlighten me.
I heard, from officers who had been on active service in Afghanistan
in 1880, of the treacherous and vindictive nature of the people; of
the danger when they were in Kabul of walking in the town except in a
party of six or seven; of the men who, even taking this precaution,
had been stabbed. I heard, too, a great deal about the assassination
of the British envoy in Kabul, Sir Louis Cavagnari, in 1879; of the
highway dangers of the two hundred mile ride from the British frontier
to Kabul, and, remembering that we were about to trust our lives
absolutely for some years to the good faith of these proverbially
treacherous Afghans, it struck me we were in for an experience that was
likely to be exciting.
What actually happened I will relate.
[Sidenote: Departure from Peshawur.]
We were all ready to start from Peshawur one day in March, 1889. The
Amîr’s agent, a stout and genial old Afghan, named Abdul Khalik Khan,
had provided us with turbans, tents, and horses; we had received
permits from the Government to cross the frontier, and our baggage was
being loaded on the pack-horses when a telegram arrived directing us to
await further orders. We were informed that there was fighting among
the Pathans in the Khyber, and we were to postpone our departure till
it was over. This seemed a healthy commencement.
Three days afterwards, however, we were allowed to proceed. The first
day’s march was short, simply from the cantonment across the dusty
Peshawur plain to Jumrûd fort: about nine miles. The fort, originally
built by the Sikhs in 1837, has been repaired and strengthened by the
British, who now hold it. It is said, however, to be of no very great
value: one reason being because of the possibility of its water supply
being cut off at any time by the Afghan hillmen.
The servants, with the pack-horses and tents, took up their quarters
in the courtyard, but we four accompanied the officer in charge up to
his rooms in the watch-tower. From here we had an extensive view over
the Peshawur valley. The entry to the Khyber was about three miles off
to the west. We had left the cantonment early in the afternoon, and
soon after our arrival it became dark. We dined, and were thinking of
turning in to prepare for our long hot ride on the morrow, when we
found, instead, that we should have to turn out.
The fort was not an hotel, and had no sleeping accommodation to offer
us. I looked at Pyne. The baggage was down there in the courtyard,
somewhere in the dark, and our bedding with it. Should we----? No!
we would roll up our coats for pillows, throw our ulsters over us,
and sleep on the platform outside the tower. We were proud to do it.
But--the expression “bed and board” appealed to my feelings ever
afterwards.
We had an early breakfast.
In the morning we found the guard of Afghan cavalry waiting for
us in the travellers’ caravansary near the fort. There were about
forty troopers--“the Amîr’s tag-rag,” as the British subalterns
disrespectfully called them.
They were rough-looking men, dressed more or less alike, with turbans,
tunics, trousers, and long boots. Each had a carbine slung over his
shoulder and a sword at his side. A cloak or a rug was rolled up in
front of the saddle and a couple of saddle bags strapped behind.
They carried no tents. I cannot say they looked smart, but they
looked useful. Of the individual men some were rather Jewish in type,
good-looking fellows--these were Afghans; and one or two had high
cheek-bones and small eyes--they were Hazaras. All were very sunburnt,
and very few wore beards. This last fact surprised me; I had thought
that Mahomedans never shaved the beard.
It is, however, not at all an uncommon thing for soldiers and officers
in the Afghan army to shave all but the moustache; but I learnt that in
a Kabul court of law, when it is necessary in swearing to lay the hand
upon the beard, that a soldier’s oath is not taken: he has no beard to
swear by.
[Sidenote: The Khyber Pass.]
The baggage was sent off under a guard of about a dozen troopers. We
followed with the rest and entered the gorge of the Khyber. It is a
holiday trip now-a-days to ride or drive into the Pass. You obtain a
permit from the Frontier Political Officer, and are provided with a
guard of two native cavalrymen, who conduct you through the Pass as far
as Landi Kotal. This is allowed, however, on only two days in the week,
Mondays and Thursdays--the Koffla, or merchant days. The Khyber Pathans
have entered into an agreement with the Government that for the payment
of a certain subsidy they will keep the Pass open on those two days:
will forbear to rob travellers and merchants. Doubtless it is an act of
great self-denial on their part, but they keep faith.
Riding along the Pass one sees posted at intervals, on rock or peak,
the Pathan sentry keeping guard. He is a fine-looking man, as he stands
silently in his robes: tall, with black beard and moustache. His head
may be shaven or his long hair hang in ringlets over his shoulders. He
wears a little skull cap with, may be, a blue turban wound carelessly
round it: a loose vest reaching the knee is confined at the waist by
the ample folds of the cummerbund, or waist shawl. In this is thrust
a pistol or two and a big ugly-looking knife. The short trousers of
cotton, reaching half-way down the leg, are loose and not confined
at the ankle like the townsman’s “pyjamas.” On the feet he wears the
Afghan shoe with curved up toe: the ornamental chapli or sandal of
leather: or one neatly made of straw. Draped with classical beauty
around the shoulders is the large blue cotton lûngi, or cloak. If the
morning is cold the sheepskin postîn is worn, the sleeves of which
reach to the elbow. If it rain the postîn is reversed, and the wool
being outside shoots the wet off. The next day’s sun dries it.
The rifle he has may be an old English musket, a Martini-Henry or a
native jezail, but, whatever it be, in the Pathan’s hands it is deadly.
The scenery in the Khyber is rugged and wild, the only vegetation being
stunted bushes and trees at the bottom of the gorge. The rocky cliffs
rise precipitously on either side, and gradually closing in, are, at
a little distance from the entry, not more than three or four hundred
feet apart. The road at one time leads by the stream at the bottom
of the gorge, and later creeping up the mountain it winds in and out
round the spurs or fissures half-way up the face of the cliff. It is a
good broad road, made, and kept in excellent repair, by the British.
Nevertheless, I was far from happy: my mare, accustomed to a town,
was frightened by the rocks, the sharp turns, and the precipices, and
desired to escape somewhere, anywhere--and there was no parapet.
[Sidenote: Eccentricities of Rosinante.]
By-and-bye, however, we descended and were in a stony valley, for the
Pass varies in width from ten or twelve feet to over a hundred yards.
Mr. Pyne suggested a canter. A canter! I knew the mare by this time,
and I had on only a hunting bit. Off we went. Pyne had a good horse,
a Kataghani that had been given him in Kabul, but we swept ahead, my
bony mare and I, much to Pyne’s disgust--and mine, for I couldn’t hold
her. Roads! what were roads to her? Away she went straight up the
valley, and such a valley! The ground was covered with pebbles and big
stones, and cut up by dry water-courses wide and narrow. The narrower
gulleys she cleared at a bound, the wider she went headlong into and
out of before I had time to hope anything. I soon was far ahead of the
guard, only the Captain managed to keep somewhere in my wake, shouting,
“Khubardar,” “Take care!” I yearned to khubardar with a great yearn,
for in addition to the danger of breaking my neck was that of being
shot. Sawing at the reins did not check her, and at last I flung myself
back, caught the cantle of the saddle with my right hand, and jerked
at the curb. I was tossed in the air at every stride, and my loaded
revolver thumped my hip at each bound, but her speed diminished, and at
last she gave in and stopped, panting and snorting. Then the Captain
came clattering up, and I was obliged to turn the mare round and round
or she would have been off again. The Captain smiled and said, “Khob
asp,” “It is a good horse.”
“Bally,” I said, which means “Yes.”
We adjusted the saddle and waited till the others came up. Pyne
remonstrated with me and told me I ought not to have done such a thing,
it was not safe! He viewed it as a piece of eccentricity on my part.
About eight miles from Jumrûd, and where the defile is narrow and
precipitous, is the Ali Musjid fort. This is built on a high, nearly
isolated, rocky hill to the left or south of the road. The small
Musjid, or Mosque, from which the place takes its name, stands by
the stream at the bottom of the defile. It was erected, according to
tradition, by the Caliph Ali. The fort, which is called the key of
the Khyber, has at different times been in possession of Afghans and
British. We hold it now. The last man we dislodged was General Gholam
Hyder Khan, Orak zai, who was then in the service of Amîr Yakûb Khan.
He is now Commander-in-Chief of the Amîr’s army in Kabul and Southern
Afghanistan. He is a big stout man, about six feet three inches in
height. When I saw him in Kabul he did not seem to bear any malice on
account of his defeat. There is another General Gholam Hyder, a short
man, who is Commander-in-Chief in Turkestan, and of whom I shall have
occasion to speak hereafter.
At Ali Musjid we sat by the banks of the streamlet and hungrily munched
cold chicken and bread; for Mr. Pyne had suggested at breakfast our
tucking something into our holsters in case of necessity: he had been
there before.
Beyond Ali Musjid the narrow defile extended some distance, and then
gradually widening out we found ourselves on an elevated plateau or
table-land, bounded by not very high hills. The plain was some miles
in extent, and we saw Pathan villages dotted here and there, with
cornfields surrounding them. The villages were fortified. They were
square, surrounded by a high wall with one heavy gate, and with a tower
at one or all four corners. The houses or huts were arranged inside
in a row against the wall, and being flat roofed and the outer wall
loopholed there was at once a “banquette” ready for use in case the
village should be attacked.
The mountains and valleys of the Khyber range and of the other Indian
frontier mountains are inhabited by these semi-independent Afghans
called, collectively, Pathans or Pukhtana. There are many learned and
careful men among the Government frontier officers who are at present
investigating the origin and descent of the Pathan tribes.
[Sidenote: Pathans; their Appearance and Customs.]
The Khyberi Pathan whom I have described as the “guard” of the Pass
is a fair type of the rest. The men are quarrelsome, are inveterate
thieves, but are good fighters. Many of them enter the British service
and make excellent soldiers. They are divided into a great number of
different tribes, all speaking the same language, Pukhtu, or Pushtu,
and bound by the same code of unwritten law, the Pukhtanwali. The
neighbouring tribes, however, are jealous of one another and rarely
intermarry. There is the vendetta, or law of retaliation, among them,
and almost always an ancient feud exists between neighbouring villages.
The women, unlike the Mahomedan townswomen, are not closely veiled; the
head is covered by a blue or white cotton shawl, which, when a stranger
approaches, is drawn across the lower part of the face. They wear a
long dark-blue robe reaching midway between knee and ankle, decorated
on the breast and at the hem with designs in red. The feet are
generally bare, and the loose trousers are drawn tight at the ankle.
Their black hair hangs in two long plaits, the points being fastened
with a knot of many-coloured silks.
When one considers the nature of these mountaineers--hereditary highway
robbers and fighters, crack shots, agile and active, and when one
observes the unlimited possibility they have among rocks, valleys, and
passes of surprising a hostile army and of escaping themselves--the
advantage of a “subsidy” becomes apparent.
At the distant or west extremity of the plateau, where we saw the
Pathan villages, is the Landi Kotal serai. An ordinary caravansary in
Afghanistan is a loopholed enclosure with one gate, and is very like
the forts or villages I have described. At Landi Kotal, in addition
to the native serai, is one built by the Government. It is strongly
fortified, with bastion, embrasure, and banquette, and any part of the
enclosure commanded by the adjoining hills is protected by a curtain or
traverse.
Hot, tired, and thirsty, we four rode into the fort, and were received
by the British officer in charge. The Afghan guard took up their
quarters in the native serai outside. Good as the road was it had
seemed an endless journey. Winding in and out in the heat we had seemed
to make but little progress, and the unaccustomed weight of the turban
and the dragging of the heavy revolver added considerably to our
fatigue; but the march, after all, was not more than five-and-twenty
miles.
This time there was ample accommodation for us, and after an excellent
dinner, the last I had in British territory for many a long month, we
turned in.
[Sidenote: The Shenwaris: Caravan of Traders.]
After Landi Kotal, the Khyber narrows up. We wound in and out round
the fissures and water channels in the face of the mountain, and
climbed up and down as before; but presently the guard unslung their
carbines and closed in round us. It was the Shenwari country we were
now traversing, and these Pathans, even by the Amîr’s soldiers, are
considered dangerous; for what says the proverb, “A snake, a Shenwari,
and a scorpion, have never a heart to tame.” The Amîr had, however,
partly subjugated them even then, and a tower of skulls stood on a hill
outside Kabul.
Then we came to a series of small circular dusty valleys surrounded by
rocky mountains. There was nothing green, and the heat was very great,
it seemed to be focussed from the rocks. Further on we caught up with a
caravan of travelling merchants with their camels and pack-horses.
These men belong almost entirely to a tribe of Afghans called Lohani.
They come from the mountains about Ghazni. In the autumn they travel
down to India with their merchandise and go about by rail and steamer
to Bombay, Karachi, Burma, and other places for the purposes of trade.
In the spring they go northward to Kabul, Herat, and Bokhara. Under the
present Amîr they can travel in Afghanistan without much danger, but in
the reigns of Shere Ali and Dost Mahomed they had practically to fight
their way.
They go by the name of Povindia, from the Persian word Parwinda, “a
bale of merchandise.” When I was in Turkestan I became acquainted with
one of these men. He was a white bearded old Afghan who had been, he
told me, to China, Moscow, and even to Paris. He tried to sell me a
small nickel-plated Smith and Wesson revolver.
We rode by the caravan of traders and reached Dakka, on the banks of
the Kabul river. This is the first station belonging to the Amîr. The
Colonel commanding came out to receive us, and conducted us to a tent
on the bank, where we sat and drank tea. We were much interested in
watching some Afghans swimming down the river buoyed up by inflated
skins--“mussaks.” Grasping the skin in their arms they steered with
their legs, the force of the current carrying them rapidly along. Two
men took a donkey across. They made a raft by lashing four or five
skins to some small branches; and tying the donkey’s legs together,
they heaved him sideways on to the raft. Clinging to the skins they
pushed off, and, striking out with the legs, they were carried across
in a diagonal direction. By-and-bye some men floated by on a rough raft
made of logs. They were taking the wood to India for sale.
The river here, though not very deep, is dangerous, on account of the
diverse currents.
In the centre, to the depth of three or four feet, the current runs
rapidly down the river; deeper it either runs up the river or goes much
slower than the surface water.
A few years later I was travelling past here, one hot summer, with
Mr. Arthur Collins, recently geologist to the Amîr, and we determined
to bathe. Mr. Collins, who was a strong swimmer, swam out into the
middle: I paddled near the bank where the current was sweeping strongly
_up_ stream. Mr. Collins, out in the middle, was suddenly turned head
over heels and sucked under. He could not get to the surface, and,
therefore, swam under water, happily in the right direction, and he
came up very exhausted near the bank.
[Sidenote: Camp at Bassawal.]
After resting, we rode on through some hot pebbly valleys, with no
sign of vegetation, until we reached Bassawal, where we camped. The
tents were put up, sentries posted, and the servants lit wood fires to
prepare dinner. It soon became dark, for the twilight is very short. We
were advised to have no light in our tent, lest the tribes near might
take a shot at us; and we dined in the dark. It was the first night I
had ever spent in a tent, and to me it seemed a mad thing to go to bed
under such circumstances. I remember another night I spent near here
some years afterwards, but that I will speak of later.
On this occasion the night passed quietly.
The next morning they woke us before daybreak. The cook had lit a fire
and prepared breakfast--fried eggs, tinned tongue, and tea. As soon as
we were dressed the tents were struck, and while we were breakfasting
the baggage was loaded up. We had camp chairs and a little portable
iron table, but its legs became bent, and our enamelled iron plates
had a way of slipping off, so that we generally used a mule trunk
instead. The baggage was sent off, and we sat on the ground and smoked.
Starting about an hour afterwards, we rode along through fertile
valleys with cornfields in them: here water for irrigation could be
obtained. In March the corn was a foot high. Then we rode across a
large plain covered with a coarse grass. It was not cultivated because
of the impossibility of obtaining water. We camped further on in the
Chahardeh valley, which was partly cultivated and partly covered with
the coarse grass. The tents were put up near a clump of trees, where
there was a well. Unfortunately, there was also the tomb of some man
of importance, and other graves, near the well. The water we had from
it tasted very musty and disagreeable. Next day we went through other
cultivated valleys to the mountains again. The river here made a curve
to the south, and the mountains came close up to the bank. The road,
cut out of the face of the mountain, ran sometimes level with the bank,
sometimes a hundred feet or more above it. It was much pleasanter than
the Khyber Pass, for to the north (our right) there was the broad Kabul
river, with cultivated fields on its northern bank, and though the
scorching heat of the sun was reflected from the rocks there was a cool
breeze blowing. I thought it was a wonderfully good road for native
make, but I found, on enquiry, that it had been made by the British
during the Afghan war.
After rounding a shoulder of the mountain, where the road was high
above the river, we could see in the distance the Jelalabad Plain and
the walled city of Jelalabad. However, it was a long way off and we had
to ride some hours before we reached it.
When on a journey in Afghanistan it is not usual to trot or canter, in
fact, the natives never trot. They ride at a quick shuffling walk:
the horse’s near-side feet go forward together, and his off-side feet
together--a camel’s walk. It is an artificial pace, but very restful.
[Sidenote: Advantages of Cultivation.]
There was a shorter route which we could have taken from Bassawal,
avoiding Jelalabad altogether, but it was mostly over pebbly hills and
desert plains, and was exceeding hot. From Dacca we had kept fairly
close to, though not actually in sight of, the Kabul river. It makes a
vast difference to one’s comfort in a tropical or semi-tropical country
to travel through cultivated land where, if only at intervals, there
is something green to be seen. Few things are more fatiguing than the
glare of a desert and the reflected heat from pebbles and rocks; we,
therefore, chose the longer but pleasanter route.
[Illustration]