The Wichita daily eagle., 1895-02-07
ENGLISH In AFRICA
Their Efforts to Subdue q TSsba q
Ws-.iSa NativcA
Warfare Which Has Sseon GcseS - -
Decades Beewccn the Qresst
Troops and the Unean-
able SavnSSa

The waziri country forms . bloch q
about 5000 square miles, backed by ths
Suleiman ranges on the west and run
ming down orr frontier from the kur
ram valley On the north 20 Baluch;staa
on the south. OF the dozen tribes which
occupy its fastnesses, says the London
Times, the Waziris alone are sufficient
~ powerful to require attention The
Waziris are themselves GivldeC. ;n.o tv~e
clans, the Da-Vvesh anu tns Nahsld
between whom RACES q ohruuie fvsd
United they could muster pcrhc ps 40, ,cIS
lighting men, of whom about lah
have matchloekS But the Mahsris,
although fewer in numbers, are bravcr,
hungrier and more untaascd. and they
arc driving the more civilized narwcSh
down from their ancestral glcRs and
[ pastures TO the shelter of our Banna
district On the four or five occasions
on which it has. been necessary to send
British punitive forces into the Waxiri
hills the Darwesh have shown no COM
bined front. and as they possess scarce
~ any property IL has been difficult TO
inflict any real loss upon them The
Indian papers report that, on the
threatened outbreak of hostilities, this
less warlike section of the Waxiris
were making n peaceful exodus into
safe quarters within our frontier. The
Mahsuds have always played, and ax~
/ now playing. a very different game.
/ Down to thirtyfour years ago thoy
harried our border villages almost with
l. L.<.- Il.
attack on the frontier town Of Tank,
/ with al invading host of 5000 MahsuS
/ warriors, forced Us TO try 10 teach them
q lesson. Within q month of the Tank
+ outrage, In the most favorable month
for such warfare, when the spring crops
lay ready for destruction or as forage
for our transport animals, we sent q
force of 5000 troops into their noun
tains. 1t was the Mahsuds, however,
who taught us lesson One night juss
before dawn 5000 Of them surprised
our camp, the bravest Of their warriors
rushing through our tents and cutting
down men and animals till they them
selves fell covered with wounds, but
/ sword In hand. Ii was a surprise con-
/ Quoted almost exactly on the plan of
/ the night attack on our camp a few
/ weeks ago, and with even more succesA
/ In 1861 we lost no fewer than 229 men,
/ besides numbers of the transport AMI
( mails, while the Mahsuds left only l20
/ corpses behind. The whole campaign
says Mr.. Thorburn, 'cost us nearly 400
men, and admittedly failed In it's object
of effecting the submission of the tribe.
a. a. n IL. n
the expense of maintaining a small
army in their midst was heavy, the
troops were withdrawn"
! During the next twenty years wa
kept up q clumsy and intermittent
! blockade against the Mabsud clans
But the steadilygrowing list of their
/ outrages compelled US in 1851 TO talxo
/ them effectively in hand. A force OF
1000 British troops, now armed with
breech leaders, penetrated into every
/ part of their hills Resistance, which
had been possible by the sword and
matchbox against the old muzzle-load.
er, was hopeless against our new
weapon The tribe gave up their lead
ers TO our general and submitted To hix
terms.
We have already referred 20 the mora
recent history OF the Waziris The time
has come when they must either accept
the peace and order which the Afghan
ameer and the British government GRO
Jointly determined TO impose on the
border land, or they must be compelled
10 do So Temporizing offers and half
hearted submission can avail them
nothing. Once they really make up
their minds TO come into the new state
Of things, there are several influences
at work on the frontier toprevent them
from regretting their decision For
| merry their chief source Of wealth was
/ the custody of the Gomal Pass and tho
/ fees or blackrnail which they levied
I from all who went through Il, whether
/ British subjects or AfghsnA In place
/ Of this and other less legitimate forms
Of plumber, the British govcrnmens
opens up employment In its border POI
/ lice and frontier irregular force
| Trade soon springs up when a hill race
makes the change from pillage 20 set
! tied industry We have taught tribea
even more untamable than the Waziris
i that plunder as . means Of livelihood
does not pay upon the British border
and there is no permanent reason why
we should not also teach them
Just as Ino door OF the city cIerx-s
Office was due TO be closed the>other
night two young ladies called and
stated that they were looking for .
marriage license
This IL not the place. explained
the sober-faced clerk The clerk Oh
the court issues them at the court
house, but you are too late 90 get down
there before he goes home"
Isn't that provoking" remarked
one Of the naidens, with pout equally
provoking. They told us that this
was the place 70 get licenses"
1t is Dog licenses" the fsce.iouA
clerk answered
The license Is for ne. not yoo,
sir" answered the girl, and a deep
hush fell over the city sesL-Ainneac-
Oils Journal