The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1885-06-11
THIRTY MILES TO HERAT.
a Travellers Sketches BY the Way.

never mlnu. saws q correspondent OF
the New York Tribune, why we were
there or how we got there. but think of
Saturday in November, 1880, and of
another missionary and myself at En-
all, little Afghan town thirty miles
out on the Pivy or Irak road from He
rat If you chance to be a good-pay-
ing guest at the inn. you are solemnly
informed that Mondays and Wednes-
days are the only two lucky days for
joqrneying. We were fortunate enough
to be poor, and so no one said word
to start on. As soon as we came out
the walters of the establishment ap-
peared, six Arab boys, each with two
knoks in his hand. To be kn0ked is the
first step in the general system of ex-
tortion in vogue. A6no6, you may not
understand, is an article of some kind
which you have used while at the pOti
or inn, and which the waiter-boy in
sists on presenting to you on your de-
parIure. OF course you must pay for
the gift, or run the risk of being pelted
with gravel. My proffered kn0kS were
the two napkins which had used, the
leather covering of chair, two plates,
and lamp. The return for the six ar
ticies was equivalent to as many dol
lars, and l was veXed, for the kfeokS
were of no use to us at all. Hesitating
a moment, the leader of the boys asked
If l would not accept the 6'1oks. Yes" !"
| said, If l can choose for myself!'
"All right" they grunted. Bring
NE then three of the coach rugs a drap-
cry, and two silver cups." | said. They
were dumfounded. Such audacity was
too much. and as they hurried out to
confer with the landlady the post
horses came, and we mounted.
The road was a cross between high
way and a byway. 1t proceeded
Though vast arid plain, flat as a
floor, and sparsely peopled by nomads,
with village here and village there,
and spots of luxurious vegetation at
every mountainous break. On the
north the rough hills were magnificent,
and on the south distant roseate ranges
skirted the plains and filled the per-
That portion of the country is made
quately governed and unsafe, and as
there is little traffic the expenses of
travelling are enormous. We were in
no humOr to gain a realizing sense of
our surroundings; but one thing | did
realize, and that was that the horse
that rode was a 60ugy, and of all
horses that | ever saw 60Ugy Afghan
is the worst for saddle use. He was
milk-white, and rather stylish, but he
went with a skip-and-a-jump trot that
was not comfortable for man who had
not been in a saddle for a year But
he did not trot all Of the time for Just
in advance of us was a Russian travel
er with thirty-six loads OF luggage and
a train of attendants; and the rules of
the eastern roads are such that one
company can rot come near enough to
another to hear the crack of whips.
Although our party carried bag of
mail, we had no right to 90 past the
Russian, who. l fancy, was in no hurry
to get on to Cabul. At mid-afternoon
he halted for the night, and we had to
do likewise.
Co.'s was the name of the place, and
it was In sequestered and desolate
spot. A narrow, rusty old gate opened
out of an archway at the wayside, and
was marked I'UUgh. The word means
"WeIcome!" but we were not sure of
being welcome, for in vain we pound
ed the gate with the hammer used for
that purpose. But at last brave lit
tie lad came and gave us admittance.
We dismounted, and, walking up a
weedy lane, entered the village, and
sought the pOti. The entrance was a
square cellar, and the accommodations
were like those of all other eastern
hostelries. There was one innovation
"a glass window, dirty one at that,
but one of which the proprietor was
very proud. He took the sash out and
showed it TO Us, and then took us to
our chambers, where in Strange sort
of contrivance boy burns some char
coal and cooked our rice. After sun
rise priest came in to see us, wearing
robes, but with bare feet. He wanted
to convert Us. but he spent a good
half-hour in ceiling US that by the will
of Allah his skin was of delicate ecru
color, which fact he regarded as mark
of divine honor, inaSmuch as it dlstln-
guished him from the burnt-sienna col
ored natives. Afterward he talked
theology in a mad sort of way. Apollo
gizing for the building that he called a
mosque, he invited US out to see it,
and we found very gaudy place, hung
all over with festoons and tinseled
drapery, with tapers burning and tin
ornaments sparkling.
We saw perhaps dozen Afghan wo-
men. They wore no bonnets, but sim
ply long veil of gauzy stuff Look at
them in the right way, and they are
pretty. Their cOuntenanceS have a
Jewish cast, but they are not brunettes
Their skin is an9mic, strikingly so, and
they wear their hair tied over ball so
as to make them look more than natur-
ally white. They walk remarkably
well, and in the management of their
wells display much innate grace and
elegance
OF the men l may as well say that
they are not unlike what cross be-
tween a Hindu and Persian would be.
Athletic, fair, and well-bearded, they
have aquiline faces, with the foreheads
ing in curls that fall over the shoulders
in a picturesque, shaggy, mane-like
way. Their carriage is full of reSolu-
lIOu ana pflue, ana from one DOruer OF
the country to another you can not but
remark that they remind you of bantam
roosters. And they are like them, too
turbulent, vain, brutal, quarrelsome,
liking nothing better than the practice
OF martial sports of cruel cast. The
kazA, or chief tribesman of Co.'s, was as
perfect a game-bird as | ever saw.
This same kazh wanted to buy my
pens and ink, and | had no alternative
save to consent But | exacted price
of him, and that was ride in his slam
to Herat. 1t was preferable to bo@gy
riding, though siam is q carriage that
is as awkward and unwieldy as any
thing ever drawn by horses. From
Selup, three miles further on; to Herat,
a fine carriage road had been recently
finished, and as our Russian had gone
Oh by another road, we had pleasant
ride When we came within sight of
Herat we found rope stretched across
the road to stop us,until 4 nlutLab came
out to collect toll and exact an oath
that we were not enemies of the city.
The, he went back and sent out