Daily Yellowstone journal., 1886-08-22
WILD sowARs or AFeHANIsrAN.
Scraps from the Diary Of 'Cyclist Thoma,

Scraps from the Diary of 'Cyclist Thomas
stevens-Exciting Experiences.
Like all Orientals. these wild sowar,
are, above all things, fatalists. The,
pin their faith implicitly on Kismet, anC
time and again, as we recline on the
carpet which the head man OF the vii
l.ge spread for us out in the open, they
reminded me, with impressive gesture
"oahib, 1t has been our Kismit to brave
and overcome the dangers of the dasht-i'
naumid together" Queer specimens OF
humanity are these wild sowars of south.
east Khorassan. A person attempting
to analyze their character finds himself
confronted and bewildered by the most
contradictory traits. One minute you
are impressed with "a charming naivete
OF speech and manner that induces you
to classify them with little children in
whom there is no guile, only to be rudely
awakened from yogr illusion the next
minute by detecting them intriguing
darkly against your purse, or discussing
some deep-laid scheme to make YOU be-
heve they are rendering you services Of
incalculable value.
Hint that you are aware of their evil
intrigues, and the next minute finds
them off their horses, kneeling toward
Mecca, repeatedly touching their fore
heads to the ground, while their deep
fetched sighs of "Allah' seem to be sim
cere as the prayers of dying man.
Brimful of guile as are these fellows. it
is the guile of children, after all. No
European is ever deceived by their theat-
rical and transparent tricks. Even while
praying, heads are ever and anon turned
and eyes rolled TO ascertain whether
these hypocritical proceedings are pro-
ducing the desired effect of removing
your supposed suspicious concerning
their honesty. Although l found the
ameer's sowars of some service in guild
ing me across the desert, simply because
they knew more of it than did, as a
general thing they were found far more
picturesque than useful, and their pres
presence was generally more aggravating
than consoling.
On the evening of the first day, as we
crossed the frontier into Afghanistau,
happened to be wheeling leisurely along
some distance ahead of three sowars,
who, as usual, were riding lazily along
together, commenting on the amount of
backsheesh they were likely to receive at
the end Of the journey, and forming
fresh schemes for making me think that
! should never get across the desert alive
without their valuable assistance, l be-
came suddenly conscious of their fog
ging their tagged steeds into a gallop to
overtake me. Soon, with no sm:
amount of shouting and Gathering Of
arms, they rode up, and with solemn
countenance motioned me to stop.
Judging from the expression of deep
concern which they had all three as
sumed, one would think we were on the
brink of some great danger. Burr
rather" (brother), said the one WI o
usually acted as spokesman, with much
solemnity, as they came up and dis
mounted. "Burr.rather, this is Afghan
istan." well, what of it?' / replied,
well aware by their manner that they
were up to some new dodge to try and
scare me into thinking myself deeply in
debted to their protecting presence. For
answer, they all three drew their fingers
tragically across their throats, and de-
iberately proceeded to load up their
whole imposing armament, which, up to
now, they had neglected to load. Be-
tween them they carried two double
barrelled shot-guns, six ancient horse
pistols, and three curved Persian swords,
beside sundry knives and daggers.
While engaged in. loading up the fire.
arms and examining the respective
edges of the latter, they were constantly
cycling me in the most ridiculous man
ner to see if was duly impressed by the
p oceedings.
Seeing, suppose, that l viewed the
ludicrous performance with more amuse-
ent than satisfaction, and thinking
that perhaps. / didn't quite comprehend
the situation, the leader of the sowars re-
peated his former information of Burr
rather this is Afghanistan, referring to
his comrades for confirmation. ~Oh,
Afghanistan,r assented the other two
worthless, tapping their weapons signifi-
cantly, and repeating the highly inter-
esting pantomime of cutting their own
t.roats. Around us for many league
tie level plain, studded with clumps of
wild thyme that made the warm atmos-
phere quite oppress ely heavy with its
perfume, stretched away to the east,
north and south; tn, calm hush of the
desert was unbroken by single sound,
and the solitude was unrelieved by ths
sight of single living creature besiae
ourselves. The sowars stopping and
putting their weapor, in fighting order
with such ostentation, the moment we
had crossed the imaginary boundary
line on the inhabited desert was the out
come of another of those brilliant idea
that had found its way into their
precious heads while scheming and plot.
ting together as usu"I in the rear.
That night we slept on the desert with.
out shelter of any kind, without food oil
water for the sowars' horses, and we
supped off bread and cold gusht-i-goos-
tang (goat meat we hal brought along
1t was the full of the moon april 19), q
most lovely evening in the clear atmos.
phere of the desert, and the situation
was strange and novel, Aware Of being
in bad company, ! should have
slept with one eye middling wide
II