Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1879-12-04
Cabul and It's People.

sbpu oH" OVBsts
The diversified crowds OF people that
surge through the streets cf Cabul agree
in way. At night, when the narrow
bazaars are nglow with the reflected
light of oil in little metal wick lamps.
ignited cotton floating in earthenware
saucers, or the wood-tires of the cooks,
the Fcrghanee has no objection to sit
side by side with the Bokharian on the
low, open veranda of the cooks shop (;
and on the same platform, with the
seething flesh-pot in the center, contain
ing little Jumps of meat skewered upon
stick, representatives of twenty differ
ent Mohammedan nationalities are con-
tent TO sit together upon terms ofequality,
and afterward to exchange the hookah
and the national love-song, and the
romance of chiyalry and theft.
Like other lOriental towns, Cabul is
filthy. Sanitation is not even n dream
with the inhabitants. There are four
principal roads. which are from thirty
to forty feet broad, and these are con-
sidered the handsomest streets. One il
the Great Bazaar, or Charcutta, COM
posed of one-story mud houses, which
have verandas, slightly elevated above
open cutters, opening full upon the
streets. These verandas become shops
in the daytime and are stored with speci-
mems of all the furs, silks, and wool and
hair cloths that Central Asia produces.
In the evening three or four cronies sit
on Il mat in almost every shop, set a
lamp in their midst, fold their feet, put
on their skull-caps, and smoke and tell
stories till midnight. Another great
bazaar, leading from the Western Gate
to the Bala Hissar is monopolized by
cooks and butchers. Heads and car
cases are suspended there in plenty. but
no trace of the unclean animal. the
pig, is discernible. 1t Is in this bazaar,
by oil-light, that some of the most
picturesque looking ruflians in the
world may be seen. Observe this
one. A man over six feet high I;
his head conical-shaped ; the let
black hair close cut, almost to the bone !;
his face long, sallow, and fringcd with
grizzly black whiskers. which meet be-
meath in one long matted beard; the eye
small, black and keen; the nose arched
and thin; the mouth cruel and COM
pressed; the chest and arms to the
elbows bare; the body cnveloped in n
tattered blue shirt reaching beneath the
knees; bare, SCARED legs; the ieet tread
ing on grass sandals. which are held on
by the toes. That is Cabul beTgar, and
a most arrant villain he is, for, beneath
his rags. he conccals n knife, like the
rest of his amiable countrymen, and will
use it with the rage of wolf If he is
tempted. The cooks are glad enough TO
toss kabob or two to gentlemen of this
class.
The other two roads have no particu-
lar characteristics, except that they ar
n great deal broader than by far thee
larger portion of Cabul. OF these
four principal roads numerous dark and
filthy lanes, twisting for n quarter Of
mile at time. and not more than three
feet broad. shoot at frequent intervals.
The flat-roofed houses in them are made
of mud, thickly mixed with straw. and
the apartments arc dark square holes.
much worse than the much decricd
shantics of the Galway peasants. Men.
women and children sleep together. and
never change their garments till these
drop off. Frequently cattle and fowls
are TO be found crowded into these
apartments. together with the human
inmates. Such places are dangerous to
all strangers. Not even an unusual
parish dog could stray into one of them.
for he would be worried by n hundred
jealous, big -boned. hungry ours. In the
last British attack on Cabul. Afghans
who preferred dying like poisoned rats
in hole. ".Tetreated to their tortuous
streets and lanes. and many n good life
was lost in hunting them out. Lon
don Standard