The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1879-01-05
THE QUKKA KHEYL.

LIE Yuma AhEILs
A Specimen Of the People that Dwel
About Ali.Musiid The Ishmaelites
Of the Afghan Border.
| tPeshwar Cor. London Telegraph
The surrounding tribes are four kheyl
or sections Of Khyber Afreedies, know
as Kuki Kheyl, Mulick Deem KheyI
Khambar Kheyl and Qukka Kheyl
The last OF these are, par excellence
the Ishmaelites of the border, who's,
hand is against every man, and ever,
mans hand against them. Their char
acteristics, however, are only those O
their neighbors somewhat exaggerated
and In choosing them for description. a,
representative Of their tribe, no greater
error in judgment is attributable to III
than could be laid at the door of the
historic John Homer, Esq, who, In
testing the qualities OF Christmas
cake, congratulated himself on having
selected one prominent plum as a sam
pie OF the whole. A turban Of the scan.
tiest proportions, O shawl Of the poorest
material, coarse and torn. thrown loose
ly over his shoulders and covering a
vest which is next to his skin, and has
never been removed therefrom since the
day when 1t was first put on: loose
trousers blending with the other gar.
ments in harmonious tfnts OF dirt: san
dalg 80 loose and 80 worn that it il won
derful the mOuntaineer can move with
out leaving them behind him: a long
dagger and powder horn, with few bui.
lets tied up In rag, Turk in the folds OF
q voluminous, albeit ragged, scarf.
which is wound around his waist 8
jazail, or matchbox, quite six feet long.
10 grasped in his hand, with its ugly
looking barrel resting on his shoulders
such are the outward and most visible
signs OF the barbarian within. His fea-
lures express, with q sincerity that no
effort can conceal, ferocity, cunning.
covetousness. and all lying and hypo.
crisy. He has the peculiar leer that
half tanned wolf. You
can see in his eye that he has been hunt
ed and has hunted others. He is utterly
mercenary and destitute Of all patriotic
feeling indeed, the only difficulty in Sc
curing his services is that his brother.
with whom he has for years carried on
Q DlQod-ieud has already sold himself to
US. ana ne would on that account alone
prefer to light on the opposite side.
Inough OF little use as an ally. he is de.
cidedly troublesome as an enemy: indif.
lerent alike to heat and to cold. to
thirst, hunger and fatigue, he can glide |
INVISIBLE az panther crouching stealth
iy on hillside; he can run like deer. |
Ind shoot at pot shots with all the ar. |
,uracy. OF which his barbarous weapon
Will admit. But it Is not the soldier |
Who fears his attacks; It is the stray |
cling camp follower, whom he robs. muir
iers ana mutilates whenever he can do |
70 with 9 certainty OF effecting his eg-
ape. But, despite his cruelty and
nlrst lor blood and gold. he has an i'm
'IessiDle side to his nature. His
ll8niy-strung nervous organization is
,ecullarly sensitive to the influence OF
nusic, and by no means proof against
he allurements of love. At the wariike
trains OF the Sernai or bagpipe he will
bout and dance with demoniacal en-
husfasm, and there are few more weird
nd enthralling sights than q war dance
n a pitch-dark night round q lurid Il
'atch- fire on the bleak crest of some i
one bill, where the Qukka Khevl. ike
vi! spirits OF the night, join in fierce
nd fiendish revelry. They shout. thew
Ing, they wind through the mazes Of
ne dance, circling round the camp fire +
No waving aloft their swords like Ii
iadiators from another world. i
udden their Changing shields the echoes vaken
All the rough hills along;
no when at intervals their posts are taken.
hoars the unequal song,
What Ossian saw In Fingals camp
Dove the stream OF Turthor. Sir Sam
Q! Brownies soldiers may see in tha
lde defiles OF the Khyber. Tn his
ives the Qukka KheyI loses much OF
ls barbarity; he melts from fferceness i
fondness as suddenly as q haiIstone !
the sun. His poetical mind is filed ,
lth images OF garden In which there ! :
one hover combining the beauties Of :
le tulip, the jessamine and the rose :
SENDS his signs to her upon the .
orning breeze; he likens himself tol :
le nightingale In love with the rose.
nglng his despairing song seated upon / :
thorn and, in still more strained ne IS
pnor, declares her the mistress OF the / :
GRID, whose confines are but the Dor. i,
rs OF her palaces, and calls upon us FL
Denoid how the heavens bow down / :
all sides to kiss the threshold which y
Ie has sanctified with her footsteps. \
pennsylvania postmaster named Logan 1
lRnt nard but feloniOusly for his place at / 4
PUBIC crib. A successor was appointed !,
nO!lcing the official communication adj !,
essed 70 him. Logan purloined It and forced Z
etter 70 the Foet0mco Department decIin- y
the appointment Mr.. Logan'e Iefter q
ould be addressed to him at the county {!