Chapter XVIII: Road From Kabul to Peshawar

Difficulty of getting permission to enter Afghanistan and to
leave it—Description of country passed through—Camping-places
on way down and distances—Description of Jelalabad city—Usbeg
horseback game of Buz-bazee—Kabul river at Jelalabad and
beyond—The musak—Summer heat—The last day’s journey.

After several years spent in Kabul, one experiences a sense of elation when the time comes for leaving it. The thought of being back soon in civilization, among one’s friends and the people of one’s own country, produces so keen a desire to be with them again at once that the time occupied in making ready to start, and that spent on the journey, seems interminable. When in Kabul there is a remoteness in the thought of home and England so great that the memory seems to deal with the land and people of another planet, and if one were a Buddhist it might easily be conceived that the memory dealt with a former incarnation, for one is so cut off from the outer world, and all things are so different, that it appears like a separate existence.

Afghanistan is a difficult country to get into, for not only is the Amir’s written permission necessary, but the Indian Government must consent also, for no European is allowed to go through the Khyber Pass and cross the frontier without a permit, and that is only granted on producing the Amir’s firman; and even then one is not allowed to start until the Afghans across the frontier have been communicated with and the escort arranged to meet the traveller on a certain day. It is also difficult to leave it, for the Amir is chary of giving leave to those who have spent some time in the country. I was there for over eight years without a break, and although I repeatedly asked for leave I was always put off on one pretext or another. When permission to leave has been given there always occurs another two or three weeks’ delay in getting together the pack-horses required for carrying luggage, and the escort of sowars (cavalry) necessary for protection on the journey, and the tents and carpets, etc. With a desire to start as soon as ever possible, the casual to-morrow-or-next-day habit of the people, to which one has got accustomed more or less, becomes of a sudden a prominent characteristic, and proportionately irritating. But as all things come to those who wait, provided they wait long enough, everything is at last ready, and one morning all the boxes and packages are fastened on the backs of the pack-animals, the servants are seated on those horses which carry the lightest loads, and the baggage is got off, and an hour or two later one mounts and starts off one’s self.

It is an eight days’ journey from Kabul to Peshawar if long marches are undertaken each day, but the people who travel up and down that way usually take eleven or twelve days. I have done it in six days, but to do it in this time all the riding and pack-horses must be of the best, for the mountainous country traversed, and rough stony character of the tracks (there are no roads excepting round Kabul itself), make it very trying for the horses, and on a very long day’s march some will drop from fatigue, and cases of horses dying on the road are not at all uncommon.

When the valley of Kabul has been left behind the country appears very desolate, for there is nothing but mountains, rocks, and sand to be seen. The second day’s journey takes one over the Latabund Pass which lies at a considerable altitude above Kabul, which is itself seven thousand feet above sea-level, and the rest of the journey until Jelalabad is reached is all over mountains. Camp for the night is pitched near small villages set in valleys where a little water makes the cultivation of a few patches of sandy soil possible. It is the very small amount of rainfall which makes the country so barren generally for the disintegrated rock which collects in the valleys, and the foot of the mountains forms a prolific soil when it can be irrigated, and it is also the want of verdure and trees on the mountains, and absence of clouds with their accompanying haze of moisture, which is the cause of the monotonous colouring of the landscape, for there are many fine mountain scenes which would be magnificent, but for the dryness of the atmosphere which makes the hills and mountains, far and near, shades of one dirty looking colour. At the beginning of a day’s march, the sameness of the prospect makes one almost sigh at the dreary stretch of country to be ridden over, for it offers nothing of interest to lessen the sense of fatigue, and the only desire while riding is to get it done with, and look forward to the camping-place.

The usual stopping-places between Kabul and Jelalabad, which is about halfway to Peshawar, are Budkhark, twelve miles; Barikab, thirty-two miles; Jagdalak, sixteen miles; Gandamak, twenty-eight miles; Fatehabad, eighteen miles; and Jelalabad, nineteen miles. These distances are only approximate, for they are estimated from the time occupied in riding from one to the other. There are other places at which one may camp for the night if necessary, according to the number of days in which it is desired to make the journey; but the above are best if one wishes to make each day’s journey equal in fatigue for the horses and pack-animals. The shorter marches are over bad mountain tracts, which tire the horses quite as much as a longer journey over fairly level country. The sixth day’s journey to Jelalabad is over ground which slopes down gradually from the foot hills, but almost the whole of it is through sand mixed with small stones in which the horses’ feet sink deeply, and makes the going hard and tiring. Those who have walked any distance in dry sand by the seashore will appreciate the fatigue of the horses in getting over such country.

When I left Kabul snow was falling, and had been doing so for the past two days, and the mountains and plains were covered with it, and to make matters worse a blizzard was blowing. The coldness of a blizzard must be experienced to be appreciated, and I heard afterwards that two or three soldiers on night-guard had been frozen to death; but this is a common occurrence during the severe winters experienced in Kabul, when the wind gains in piercing intensity as the cold increases during the night.

[_To face p. 312._]

After riding through the snow for some hours, with limbs stiffened and senses benumbed by the icy wind, it was with a feeling of thankfulness that I saw the walls of the serai, showing through the driving snow; and when we reached the place and dismounted, I found that the circulation in my right hand had stopped, and it was only after having it rubbed for some time that it got right again. The serais, which are stationed at intervals along the route, are intended for the use of the caravans, and they are made in the form of a square, with a high wall surrounding it, and the rooms are built against the inner side of the wall. There is a verandah outside the rooms, under which the packages carried by the caravans are stored for the night in bad weather, and which also forms a shelter for the camels and pack-animals. Over the gate of the serai, in which we lodged for the first night, was an upper room, built for the use of travellers of position and standing, and this was placed at my disposal; but as regards its comforts, I can only say that it was better than being outside. One of the lower rooms which are used by the men of the caravans travelling up and down would have been warmer, but they are filthy, and mostly contain a vigorous population undesirable to those of clean habits; and the room I occupied was fairly clean, but it was unfurnished, and had no fireplace, while the window was composed of wooden shutters, and round the frame were cracks an inch wide, where the wood had shrunk away from the wall and left open spaces, and in the wall itself were large cracks, due probably to earthquakes, through which the wind whistled; so while waiting for the baggage to come up, I had an open fire lighted on the top of the verandah outside, and warmed myself one side at a time. It was not until night had fallen that the baggage animals came in, and I was able to get a cup of hot tea, and an hour or two later I got some food, and it was rather a dreary time waiting for it, when tired and hungry, and the thermometer below zero. To undress and go to sleep with the blizzard blowing in at all the cracks in wall and window was not to be thought of, so I took off my boots only and lay down, covering myself with all the rugs I had; and in the morning when I woke, I found that the water in the wash-basin was frozen solid, and fine drift snow covered the floor and bed.

The morning was clear and bright, and the dazzling whiteness of the snow in the sunlight was blinding, until the eyes became a little used to it; but the wind continued in all its severity, and while riding over the Latabund Pass, we found it far too cold at that altitude to sit in the saddle with comfort, for our hands and feet became so numbed and useless that we feared frostbite, and therefore the escort and myself dismounted and walked, in order to keep ourselves warm, and led our horses, until about two o’clock in the afternoon, we reached the summit. Once on the other side of the pass, we were protected from the wind, but I thought it still too cold to ride, and so walked on the rest of the way to Barikab, where I reached camp at six in the evening, very tired with a long day’s walk. The pack animals, which are too heavily laden to take the short cuts over the mountains that the riding horses follow, did not reach camp until nine o’clock, so that it was again very late before I got my dinner, and by the time I got it I wanted it.

Thence to Jelalabad, as each successive range of mountains brought us still lower down it got warmer day by day, but the warmth was comparative only, for it was still very cold when we reached Jelalabad. Here I spent a day, having a day extra in hand in which to reach the Khyber Pass, which is open for travellers twice a week only, and occupied myself in looking over the city and inspecting the Amir’s palace and gardens there. The city is a small one, and is walled round, as usual, but the wall is broken down in places, and everything has a most dilapidated look, and many parts are in ruins. There is no attempt to keep the city clean, and the inhabitants of each house make their own sanitary arrangements, which practically means none at all, as each one throws the refuse of the house outside to lie there and rot, if not eaten up by the dogs and crows. The water of the place stinks, and it is not at all surprising that when cholera visits it, being brought up from India with the caravans, it makes a long and effective stay. One wonders that it does not wipe off the whole of the population, but the dry climate and frequent winds, no doubt, help towards the sanitary condition of the city, and perhaps long-continued successive visits of cholera have made many of the people immune.

It was in Jelalabad that I first saw the Usbeg game of “Buz-bazee” (literally, “goat play”). It is played on horseback, and the first thing done is to kill a goat or sheep by cutting its throat in the usual manner while the Usbeg horsemen gather around. When this has been done, a signal is given, and all the riders make a dash at the carcase, which lies on the ground. The man who gets it flings it across the saddle in front of him, and goes off at full gallop, the others chasing him until one or another catches him up, and then ensues a struggle, while still at full gallop, for the possession of the body. The man who gets it is chased in turn by the others, and when the carcase falls to the ground, as it does at times, it is picked up as the rider gallops by, the horseman riding with one leg and arm thrown over the horse to enable him to reach low down to the ground. So the game goes on until the limbs are wrenched apart and the victors ride off at last with the portion they have been able to secure, and which the speed and agility of their horses prevents others from taking from them.

The usual journey from Jelalabad to Peshawar occupies five days. Girdi Kutch, the first stopping-place, is twenty miles; Basawal, eighteen miles; Daka, the Afghan frontier post, sixteen miles; and Lundi Kotal, the British frontier post on the far side of the Khyber Pass, twenty miles. The last day’s journey is from Lundi Kotal through the Khyber Pass, and past Jumrood, the fort which guards the mouth of the Khyber on the Indian side, and on into Peshawar, where one enters once more into civilization.

From Jelalabad to the Khyber mountains the country is a comparatively flat one, and for the greater part of the journey the route follows the course of the Kabul river, which is here broad and shallow, though the current is swift, on account of the considerable fall in level between Jelalabad and Peshawar. This portion of the river contains several whirlpools, which render navigation a matter of difficulty and danger to all who are not well conversant with the currents. The whirlpools are said to be mostly situated in the narrow gorges of the Khyber mountains, through which the river flows, and that it is here where the skill of the raftsmen is called into play to prevent sudden disaster, for the swiftness of the current gives little opportunity of correcting a mistake in steering.

Jelalabad is one of the few spots in Afghanistan where there are many trees. The forests are situated some few miles from the city, and may be seen covering some of the hills in the distance. The timber, a description of the pine tree, after being cut down, is roughly squared into logs and dragged down to the river, where they are formed into rafts and floated down into Peshawar for sale. A small amount of produce is also carried on the rafts and sold in India.

On one of my journeys down to Peshawar the governor of Jelalabad, by order of the Amir, sent me several large melons which are grown in the district. The size of the melons was so great, about two feet long and one and a half feet in diameter, that I had no means of carrying them with me, and on this being represented to the governor, he gave instructions for them to be carried by raft into Peshawar and handed over to me there. The raftsmen told me that they would be in Peshawar twelve hours after leaving Jelalabad, and as the distance between the two points is about a hundred miles, some idea of the speed of the current may be gained.

The water of the river is fed by the melted snow from the mountains, and is intensely cold, and I was told that any one who attempted to swim across the river would be carried so far down by the current before reaching the other side that the coldness of the water would make him numbed and powerless, and he would drown. The people of the district, when they have to cross the river, do so on musaks distended with air, which keep the body clear of the water, while allowing the use of the legs and arms as a means of propulsion; but even then the limbs get so numbed and paralyzed that only strong men can make use of the musak as a means of crossing the river, or floating down to another village some miles lower on the same side; and I was told that the frequent use of it brings on rheumatism in the legs and arms—and one can quite understand that it would do so.

The musak is the same as that used by watermen all over the East for carrying water. It is made of a goat or sheepskin, which is treated to make the skin soft and flexible, and afterwards sown up, so that it has the original form of the animal, minus head and legs; the joints are made watertight, and the whole skin when distended by air being blown into it forms a very buoyant vessel. The villager lies face downwards on it, and pushing off into deep water, strikes out with arms and legs, much as if he was swimming, and those I have seen travelling down the river in this way were going at a speed which I estimated at a good ten miles an hour.

Close to Jelalabad, where the river narrows as it runs between some low hills, the villagers have stretched a thick rope across from bank to bank, fastening it to large iron bars fixed in the rocks at the side, and by means of this rope they ferry a rickety-looking raft, which is built up of frail-looking poles roughly tied together, and supported on musaks, from one bank to the other, and carry freight, passengers, and animals as required. The rope is a country-made one of unequal thickness, and ragged with loose strands, and has a good deal of stress thrown on it by the swift current which surges against the raft, and swings it from side to side on its passage, and it struck me that a passenger addicted to nerves would find the crossing a rather trying time. I was not surprised to learn that the raft occasionally broke away with disastrous results to those on it, for few of the people can swim.

The people of the district once petitioned the Amir to make a bridge over the river, and to ensure the free communication which would benefit the people on both sides, a bridge is badly wanted. The Amir, who was averse to making any fixed structure which might benefit some future enemy, decided on having a pontoon bridge made; but the men he put in charge of the work being altogether inexperienced, their efforts were made short work of by the river, and the idea was abandoned.

I once suggested a scheme to the Amir of taking advantage of the river for carrying freight between the Jelalabad district and India, and such a scheme is quite feasible; for, by cutting a deep channel in the wider portions of the river, and blasting away the rocks which cause the whirlpools and other dangers to navigation, the journey down to India could be made easy, and steam tugs could be employed for drawing barges up on the return journey. At present pack-animals are used, and the cost of freight every year is a large item to the Government, and for several months in the year the heat of the lower country between Jelalabad and the Khyber, and consequent high death-rate among the pack-animals, prohibits the carriage of anything but very necessary articles, which must be brought up at all costs. The Amir was at first disposed to have the scheme gone into, but eventually he let the matter drop, as he did all schemes which did not offer immediate reimbursement.

The country between Jelalabad and the Khyber is well cultivated, and there are many villages on both sides of the river; but a good deal of ground is allowed to lie idle which could be made profitable, and the reason for this is, no doubt, that there are no cheap means of carrying produce for sale in India, and the people have no incentive to grow more than is sufficient for their own consumption. The soil is very productive, and most of the cereals, fruits, etc., suitable for a hot climate, grow well. The heat during the summer months is great, though not so much so as in the Peshawar district. It is, however, quite hot enough to render riding over that part of the country a very trying experience; and I remember when travelling up once in June how my mouth became so parched that I dare not let my tongue touch the roof of the mouth, as I was afraid it would stick there and choke me, and I was ready to drink from any of the stinking wells we came to, to get relief. Fortunately there was no cholera about at the time, or I might have fared worse, for no thought of disease would have deterred me from drinking. The temperature is made more trying than it would be because the rocks absorb the heat of the sun and become very hot, and the heat given out by them, together with that of the sun, makes the narrow defiles here and there feel like ovens, and they are so stifling that breathing more resembles gasping, until they are left behind, when the hot wind of the plains comes as a perfect relief after what has been gone through. “Like unto the shadow of a great rock in a dry land” has a fuller meaning to those who travel in such places.

The route from Kabul to Peshawar is the shortest and the recognized one for those who travel to India. There are other roads which might be used to get there; but even if one had the opportunity of using them, there are few who would care to prolong the time spent on the journey by electing to travel that way.

When the last day’s journey through Afghan territory brings one at last to the point where British territory begins, the line of demarcation is readily defined. Up to the point where the Afghan rule extends, one travels over the country as Nature made it, and the way is strewn with rocks and boulders, which are allowed to lie in the path, and necessitate the horses walking round, or in and out between them, and making them traverse thereby a much longer distance than a clear road would give. But from that point where British authority begins, there is a smooth graded road, which leads one high up over the hills and mountains of the Khyber to Lundi Kotal, and thence through the difficult mountain country of the Pass, and on into Peshawar, with gradients so easy that one can take a dog-cart and drive at a sharp trot the whole of the distance, and cover ground in a few hours which, on the Afghan side of the frontier, takes a long day’s tedious riding to get over.

INDEX

A

Abdur Rahman, Amir—
Admiration for Gladstone, Bismarck, McMahon, and General White,
118-119
Afghans in Australia, and, 284
Amusements, 105-108
Anecdote of, when at war with his family, 117-118
Anecdote of, when in Russia, 116
Attendants (slave boys), 108-110
Attitude towards moullahs, 269
Attitude towards working mines, 261, 305
Aversion to railways, 305
Burial, 130
Character, 117, 118
Conduct at festivals, 207
Customs, 105, 106
Death, 126
Deserted during earthquake, 256
Doctor and medicine, 104
Drinking-water, 104
Favourites, 124
Fled from cholera to Paghman, 162, 200
Fond of flowers, 107
Food, 103
Government, 98 _seq._, 102
Guard, 105
Hat with diamond star, 133
Imported Russian spy system, 151
Interest in trade and mechanics, 229, 233
Method of putting down robbery, 28
Offence of writing reports concerning him to the Indian Government,
152
On Afridi rising, 110-112
On English Parliament, 114
Palaces, 51-52, 102
Personal appearance, 37
Petitions to, 138
Plans for his country, 113, 117, 304
Policy of getting rid of influential men, 289 _seq._
Policy towards England, 110, 113 _seq._, 123, 208
Preparations for fighting or travelling, 104
Punishments, 157 _seq._, 162 _seq._, 170, 300
Reads letter from spy in Russia to author, 303
Reception of author, 38
Reception of Nasrullah Khan, 32
Sons, his treatment of them, 120, 121, 293
Stays at Nasrullah’s house, 121
Story of Moullah and, 15
Subjugated the Hazaras and Kafris, 63
Sufferings from gout, 108, 125
Title, “Light of Religion and Faith,” 123, 133
Tomb prepared at Kila Asham Khan, 129
Views on Boer War, 115

Afghanistan—
As a buffer state, 298
Condition of country for warfare, 226
Difficult to enter, 308

Afghans—
Admire fat men, 89
Characteristics, 61, 62, 65 _seq._, 78, 92, 100, 138, 227, 276
Colony in Australia, 283, 284
Complexion, 61
Discontented, 298
Family feuds, 66
Fond of children, 184
Lost tribes of Israel and, 62
Mode of meeting friends, 6
Policy of arming, 300
Religious fanatics, 288
Sympathy with English justice and government, 301
Workman, 235

Afridi rising, 110

Aminoolah, Sirdar, 110, 120

Amirs—
Internal policy, 307
Powers and duties, 98

Amusements, 68, 205

Animals, clean and unclean, 284

Apricots, 239

Arabic, children taught to read, 65

Arak fortified palace, 36
Abdur Rahman’s body taken to, 128
Described, 51, 52

Army, 299
As a fighting machine, 225-227
Generals have no knowledge of modern warfare, 225

Asman Heights, 162, 164
Water-marked, 259

Astrologers, 84

Author—
Accompanies Shahzada to Kabul, 2
Appointment and work as engineer, 231-233
Assaying and reporting on minerals, 262
Attacked by Ghazis, 181
Exhibition of cinematograph, 141
First visit to Kabul, 1889, 166
Hindustani servant, 187
House and garden in Kabul, 177
Illness at Kandahar, 19
Inspects powder-shop, 183
Journey from Kabul to Peshawar, 308 _seq._
On jury, 208
Presents from princes, 196
Quarters at Kabul, 33, 41
Quarters at Kandahar, 14
Received by Amir, 35, 36 _seq._
Ride from Kabul to Peshawar, 11, 309 _seq._
Riding and cycling, 176
Shooting on chamans, 175
Story of servants’ superstition, 78

Ayoob Khan, 112, 293

B

Baber, summer palace at, 52

Baghibala palace, 52, 107
Abdur Rahman dies in, 127

Bala Hisar, Kabul, rased to the ground, 303

Bala Hisar, well in, 149

Barikab, 311, 314

Barracks, 219

Basawal, 316

Bazars, buying in, 190, 192 _seq._

Bazars, lawlessness in, 192

Beating with sticks, 160

Blizzard, 312

Blue pigeon, 174, 176

Boer war, 115

Boistan serai palace, 36, 52
Abdul Rahman, buried in, 130
Audience chamber in, 38

Bribery, 100

British Agent in Kabul, 301

Brown, General Sir J., meets Shahzada at Chaman, 1

Budkhark, 311

Burial of household treasure, 129

Buying in bazar, 190, 192 _seq._

C

Camel meat, 88

Camels, ill-adapted for travelling over snow, 24

Camps, description of, 8

Caravans, 242

Carpets, 240

Carriers for hire, 195

Cattle-breeding, 240

Cavagnari massacred, 303

Chaman railway terminus near Afghan frontier, 1

Chamans, 174

Character of people, 64 _seq._

Children, method of naming, 286

Children singing prayers on roof to avert calamity, 86

Chillum described, 89

Cholera epidemics, 45, 55, 87, 137, 162, 199, 200

Climate of Kabul, 53 _seq._

Cloth manufactured, 240

Coal, 260, 263-264

Coinage and mint, 251

Cold and snow, 23, 25, 54

Copper ores, 260

Court jester, 108, 207

Courtship and marriage, 92 _seq._

Cows, 194

Curios, Hindoo dealers and, 206

Curzon, Lord, requests Amir to visit him in Peshawar, 296

D

Daka, Afghan frontier post, 316

Daly, Mrs., lady doctor, 130, 182, 185
Not allowed to visit the Queen Sultana, 295
Treating cholera cases, 200

Dances, 72

Dancing-girls, 71

Darwaza Ghazni pass, 29

Death penalty, 98

Debt collecting, 250

Deh Afghanan, 35, 177

Dogs, 27, 46, 285

Donkeys, small size of, 14

Dress of men, 58

Drills, 214

Duck-shooting, 108, 175

Durbars, 99, 100, 105, 123
On festivals, 206

Durrah-i-Yusef, coal at, 263

Dust storms, 54

E

Earthquakes, 255 _seq._

Elephant, story of mad, 139

Englishmen dining with Amir, 103

Europeans in Kabul, 123, 130, 173 _seq._
Attend durbar on festivals, 206
Laws and, 208
Women and children, 184

Evil eye, the, 86

Execution, methods of, 168

Exports, 239

F

Fairies, 80

Fakirs, 271, 273

False reporting, 153

Famine of 1903, 197

“Fanah” (wedge) torture, 153-155, 248

Fanatics (ghazis), 181

Fat men, 89

Fatehabad, 311

Festivals, 279-281

_Firman_, 185

Fish in Kabul river, 175

Fishing in rivers, method of, 17

Fleischer family, 130

Fleischer, Mr., murdered, 175

Fleischer, Mrs., her German nurse, 185

Flour, price of, 194

Food, 87-89, 194-195
Lawful and unlawful, 284

Fowls, duck, geese, etc., raising, 194

Freight-carrying, 242

Fruit, dried, 239

Fuel in Government workshops, 230, 234, 263, 264

Funerals, 96-97

G

Games, 76

Gandamak, 311

Geology of country, 254 _seq._

Ghazni, 23, 29;
described, 24

Ghulam Hyder, 289

Girdi Kutch, 316

Girls become “purdah” about eight, 77

Gold, 260

Gold mine, an abandoned, 20

Government, 98, 101

Government stores, 102

Governors of Kandahar, 13

Grapes, 239

Gravestones, 96-97

Guards given to European servants of Government, 181

Gulistan serai, Queen Sultana’s palace, 36, 52, 128

H

Habibullah Khan, Amir, 30, 31, 120
Acknowledged Amir, 127
Amusements, 139-141
Attendants, 109
Attitude towards fakirs, 273
Attitude towards moullahs, 270
Characteristics, 141, 207
Conduct on Abdur Rahman’s death, 127 _seq._, 294
Coronation, 132-134
Desires seaboard, 306
Disallowed petitions, 138
Forms a parliament, 124
In Arak, 137, 294
Interest in machinery, 230
Nominal head of army, 121
Position difficult, 298
Precautions regarding his food and drink, 104
Promises of reform, 137
Remains in Arak during cholera epidemic, 201
Speech at coronation, 133-134
Story of his cruelty, 161

Haddah moullah, 110-112

Hafiz, 273

Haj, pilgrimages to Mecca, 281

Hamams (Turkish baths) described, 34

Hamilton, Lieutenant, 225

Hazaras, 63
Coolies, 186
Mulberry diet, 87
Servants, 190

Heat during summer months, 320

Hindeki, summer palace at, 52
Amir Habibullah at, 297

Hindu dealers and curios, 206
Money-lenders in Kabul, 251

Hindustani servants and swindling, 187 _seq._

Holidays, how spent, 69

Horse raising, 240

Houses of Kabul described, 50

I

Ignorance of numbers and telling the time, 92

Imports, 244

Insurrection expected on death of Abdur Rahman, 128, 131, 135, 295

Interpreters, 211

Irrigation, 13, 42, 241

J

Jagdalak, 311

Jelalabad, 311—
Described, 315, 317
District, tropical fruits in, 239
Governor of, 112
To Khyber, country between, 320
To Peshawar, five days’ journey, 316

Jidrani knife-dancers, 72

Jihad (religious war), 112, 203, 226, 267, 269, 299

“Jubah,” account of, 73 _seq._

Jumrood fort, 316

K

Kabob, 88, 103

Kabul—
Bazar shops, 49
British agent in, 301
Climate, 53 _seq._
Adapted for fruit-growing, 239
Description of city and country round, 42 _seq._
Houses described, 50
Kotwali and soldier guards, 145
Kotwali office, 143
Mihman Khana, or guest-house, 33
Palaces, 51
People met in streets, 36
Prisons in, 146 _seq._
Robberies in, 47, 144
Russian influence in, 297
To Peshawar, eight days’ journey, 309
“Wardi” sounded, 49
Workshops, 234

Kabul river, 42
At Jelalabad, 316, 319

Kabul valley, crater of ancient volcano, 254
Once a lake, 258

Kabulis, characteristics, 61, 62, 66, 78

Kabulis, consume large quantities of tea, 89

Kafris, 63
Boys punished for deserting, 167

Kandahar—
Described, 13, 14
District tropical fruits in, 239
Nasrullah Khan’s stay at, 12 _seq._

Kandaharis, characteristics, 63

Khilat, 22, 29

“Khilat,” robes of honour, 134

Khuskh, Russian railway to, 114

Khyber Pass closed, 196

Khyber Pass, opened twice a week for travellers, 314

Kila Durani, 29

Kila Asham Khan, summer palace of Queen Sultana at, 52
Abdur Rahman’s tomb prepared at, 129

Kila Kazee, 30

Knife-dancers, 72

Kohistan, earthquakes in, 257

Koochee people, 88
As carriers, 242
Women, 243

Koran, account of, 268

Kotwal (magistrate), 138, 142 _seq._
At Chaman terminus, story of, 6
Duties of, 47

Kotwali sepoys (policemen), 48, 143 _seq._
Thieving propensities, 178-180

Kotwali stations, 145

“Kro,” the unit of distance, 10, 245

Kuzilbash people, 266

L

Ladysmith, defence of, 119

Languages of Afghanistan, 63-64

Latabund Pass, 310, 314

Letter-writers in bazars, 50

Letters, 209
How carried, 210
Postage, 211

Loneliness of life in Kabul, 173

Lunatics, 271

Lundi Kotal, British frontier post, 316, 322

M

Mahomed Ali, Sirdar, 120

Mahomed Omar, Sirdar, 30, 110, 120, 126, 133, 294
Acknowledges Habibullah as Amir, 127

Mahomedzai family, allowance from Government, 122

Mohammedan belief on true religions, 202

Marches, length of, 10, 25

Marriage customs, 94-95

Maulavi Najmudeen Aghondzada, Haddah moullah, 110-112

Melons, 317

Mills for grinding corn, 241

Mines, not worked, 261, 305

Mines, outcropping, 260

Mirzas (clerks), 245 _seq._

Moullahs—
Influence and practices, 135, 267, 274
Preaching a new religion, 202
Story of Amir and, 15

Mukur, 22, 23

Mulberry diet, 87

Munzil Bagh, 19

Musak, for carrying water and crossing rivers described, 318

Musical instruments, 70
At Kandahar, 22

Musjids, 277

Mussulman year, how reckoned, 279

N

Nasrullah Khan, Shahzada, 40, 120
Builds house like Dorchester House, 121
Conduct on Abdur Rahman’s death, 126, 128, 133
Entry into Kabul, 31
Favourite wife dies of cholera, 201
Head of offices and mirzas, 121
Inspecting troops, 136
Journey from Chaman to Kabul, 2 _seq._
Knowledge of his religion, 203
Mission to England, its object, 110
Routes from and to Kabul, 12
Stay in Kandahar, 12, 21
Visit to England, 1895, 1
Welcomed at villages and cities, 5, 11, 24

O

Officers, titles, and promotion, 223

Officials, 99, 101, 103, 109
Power over Abdur Rahman, 125
Princes and, 121
Salaries, 122
Titles, 123
Treatment of English residents, 123
Workmen and, 236

Old uniforms, 60

ʾOud Khels, thief tribe, 221-223

Oxus river, gold in, 260

P

Pack animals, 4, 242, 320

Paghman, summer palace at, 52
Abdur Rahman at, 162

Palaces in Kabul, 51

Parliament, 124

Persian, the Court language, 64

Petitions to Amir, 138

Pilau, 88, 103

Plots to get Abdur Rahman’s body, 129

Political situation, 289 _seq._

Postage on letters and magazines, 211

Powder-making, accidents in, 237

Prayers, 276

Princes, Royal, their position and treatment, 120-122

Prisons, 302
In Kabul, 146 _seq._
Well in Bala Hisar, 149

Prisoners: food and treatment, 148-150

Prisoners, revolt of, 147

Provisions from India, 194

Pul-i-Bagrami, Amir’s shooting-box at, 139

Punishments, 149 _seq._, 157 _seq._

Pushtoo, 63

Q

Quail-shooting, 174, 176

Queen Sultana, 30
Influence, 126
Lived at Gulistan serai, 294

R

Racing, 75

Rafts for crossing river, 317

Railways, why not wanted, 305

Railways would be easy to make in Afghanistan, 29

Ramazan fast, 277

Regimental bands, 223, 224

Regiments, how named, 220

Religion, 266 _seq._
Crimes and offences, 274

Revenue of country, 296

Road from Chaman to Kandahar, 29

Robberies—
And murders on roads, 27
By collectors of revenue, 123
In Kabul, 47, 144

Roberts, Lord, march to Kandahar, 113, 114

Roberts, Lord, rased Bala Hisar, 303

Roofs of houses used for exercise and sleeping, 205

Route to Kabul through Khilat, Mukur, and Ghazni, 22

Routes from India to Afghanistan, 12

Rupees, 252

Russian encroachments on frontier, 297

Russian influence in Kabul, 297

Russian railway to Khuskh, 114

S

“Sandalee,” for warming rooms, described, 90

Sayids, 272

Schools, 64

Seaboard desired, 306

Serais, 312

Servants in Kabul, 186

Shahrara palace, 52

Shaitans (demons), stories of, 81 _seq._

Sheep raising, 194

Shere Ali, Amir, story of chief of ʾOud Khels and, 221

Shiah sect, 266

Shinwari tribe, 112

Shooting near Kabul, 174

Silk, where produced, 240

Singing, 70

Sirdar, title conferred only on Amir’s sons, 30

Smoking, 89

Snipe-shooting, 175

Snuff-taking, 90

Soldiers—
And arms, 213 _seq._
Dress, 59, 213
Field-cooking utensils, 219
Guards, 3, 145
Length of service, 219
Medals, 218
Mode of life, 220
Pay, 218,
increased, 136
Qualities, 225
Ready to revolt on Abdur Rahman’s death, 131, 135-137, 295
Uniforms, 216

Spies, favourite accusation of, 152

Spies in foreign countries, 303, 306

Sponges, legend about, 84

Spy system, 99, 151
Abolished, 134

Stealing, punishment for, 166

Story-tellers, 75

Sundials, 91

Suni sect, 266

Superstition, stories of, 78 _seq._

Swordstick combats, 73

T

Tea imported, 244

Timber, 240, 317

Time, how kept, 91-92

Tirah campaign, 300
Its effect on traffic, 196

Tobacco, 89

Tortures, 153 _seq._, 302

Trade and commerce, 229 _seq._

Treasury, public and private, 101

Turkestanis, 63

U

Usbeg game of “Buz-bazee,” 315

Usbeg Lancers, 3

Usbegs, 63

W

Warming rooms, method of, 90

Weddings of different classes, 94-95

Weights and measures, 245

White, General, defence of Ladysmith, 119

Wives, plurality of, 287

Working hours, 205

Workmen, foreman and, 236
Pay of, 238

Workshops, 229 _seq._, 234

Women, laws of “purdah” suspended in time of war, 227

Women, not valued in Kabul, 198

Wrestling matches, 74

Y

Yakoob Khan, 112, 293

THE END

PRINTED BY WILLIAM CLOWES AND SONS, LIMITED, LONDON AND BECCLES.

The Dawn in Russia.

By H. W. NEVINSON.

_Demy 8vo._

_7s. 6d. net (post free 7s. 11d.)._

_Illustrated by suppressed Revolutionary Cartoons._

“None of the numberless books on Russia has given anything
like such a vivid impression of the country at this supreme
crisis.”—_Truth._

“A brilliant book—vivid and convincing. A most comprehensive
survey of recent history.”—_Tribune._

“A brilliant book. It should open the eyes of all to the
significance of the tremendous event which is in progress in
Russia.”—_The Speaker._

“The finest book about Russia ever written.”—_Sunday Sun._

In the Uttermost East.

Being an Account of Investigations among the Natives and Russian Convicts of the Island of Sakhalin, with Notes of Travel in Japan, Korea, Siberia, and Manchuria.

By CHARLES H. HAWES.

_With 70 Illustrations and 3 Maps. Demy 8vo, cloth extra. 16s._

“Unusually interesting and finely illustrated.”—_Daily
Telegraph._

“Uncommonly well written.”—_Standard._

Siberia and the Exile System.

By GEORGE KENNAN.

_Profusely Illustrated._

_Two vols. Demy 8vo, cloth extra, gilt tops. 32s._

“A copious, authentic, and very striking record. Contains the
most satisfactory description of Siberia which has yet been
written in English.”—_The Times._

Sporting Trips of a Subaltern.

By CAPTAIN B. R. M. GLOSSOP.

_Profusely Illustrated, demy 8vo., 10s. 6d._

“Here we have the book of a famous big-game shot in which
simplicity and even _naïveté_ are the primary note.... One
can read of the hunting of nearly all the sorts of game....
Illustrated with the best photographs we have seen.”—_Standard._

A Modern Slavery.

The Present Slave Trade in Portuguese W. Africa.

By H. W. NEVINSON.

_Demy 8vo. Illustrated. Price. 6s._

A thrilling story of Mr. Nevinson’s expedition to the heart of the slave trade country, and the revelations which are now receiving the attention of the British Government.

’Twixt Sirdar and Menelik.

An Account of a Year’s Expedition from Zeila to Cairo through unknown Abyssinia.

By the late CAPTAIN M. S. WELLBY (18th Hussars).

_Very Fully Illustrated. Demy 8vo, cloth extra. 16s._

“The description of the practically unknown country through
which the traveller passed ... the curious account of the
‘devil workers’ of Walamo, and the Theory of the Shangkallas,
that the white men are born of thunder and can cause rain, are
full of interest. The book, indeed, is full of interest from
many points of view, and is so brightly written that it might
be read as a mere tale of adventure.”—_Athenæum._

HARPER & BROTHERS, 45, ALBEMARLE ST., LONDON, W.