The western sentinel. [volume] (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 1887-1926, 1895-07-18

GENERAL LOW. COMMANDER OF THE CHITRAL
EXPEDITION.
would have adopted the latter route but
that is long passed. The ameer of Afghan
istan, though he and his people are nomi-
nally independent of either of the great
powers, is now and for some years has been
friendly to the English.
1t was about ten years ago that the
British discovered the value Chitral might
some time be to them. There was then
some danger of a war between Russia and
the English in India on account of what is
known as the Penideh incident. Just
what the latter amounted to does not mar
ter at this time, but the complications 10
which it gave rise We're SO serious as to
cause the establishment of a British resi-
dencc at Chitral and the extension of a SUI
zerainty over the region, whose sovereign's
title is that of mehtar.
The kashgar region is only part of the
greater territory termed Yaghistan, which
includes Swat, ruled by an ahkoond and
peopled by the Swatis, the lands of the Yu
sufzais the Utman Khels 9pd the Mo
mands and the countries known as Bajaur
and Dir. Amir I'll Mulk, a younger son
in the rcigning house of Chitral, had to
leave the country some years ago on &C
count of political complications and his
elder brother Nizam- Ill Mulk, was nehtar
in Chitral until recently. The younger
brother however, who had fallen into q
religious life-paganly religious, of course
somewhere in southern India, dreamed
that he was to reign in his elder brothers
stead. So he fastened to Chitral, hid be-
hind rock pile near which the mehtar
must pass, shot the unfortunate ruler dead
and proclaimed himself mehtar. Then one
Shcr AfZul, an uncle of the two, appeared
and said he had better right to be mehtar
Of Chitral than had Amir Ill Mulk. Sher
Afzul got help from Umra Khan, the saw
age ruler of .Jhandol, and the combined
forces of the two attacked the British resi-
dence of Chitral and cut off the supplies of
Mr.. Robertson, the resident there, and his
garrison There was danger that Robert
son and his supporting force would be
wiped out, and it was this that caused
General Sir Robert G. Low to DO sent to
Chitral from Peshawar.
At the latter place and the nearby sta
tons of Nowshera and Hoti about 10, 600
British troops, including the historic guide
corps founded by Colonel Lumsden, have
been regularly stationed for some years.
As is usual in similar British expeditions
| the guide corps preceded the main body of
| troops on the march to Chitral, and before
| the advance had been pushed very far the
| gallant little corps, under command of
| Colonel Battye, was completely annihilat-
| ed by the natives.
| The method adopted in this humiliation
| was peculiar to the territory and the hos
tile forces which comprised it. The entire
| region through which tho relief party had
| to pass is of the most broken description
| and aboundS in narrow, dark defileS be-
| tween precipitcus heights. While Colonel
| Battye and his men were marching through
| one of these stfaitened passages body of
natives massed at the top of the cliffs and
| rolled down q perfect torrent of powders
| Il e II 40
| one of whom was left alive. However, in
| spite of this and other setbacks, the Brit
ish have succeeded in relieving Mr.. Robert
| son and the little garrison at Chitral, Sher
| AfZul has been captured and an alliance
| has been made with the khan of Dir. The
| trouble may therefore now be considered at
| an end for the present at least, and the
British will no doubt proceed to thorough
| ly subjugatc the SwatS and other tribes
which assisted Sher Afzul and Umra
| Khan. This will not be an easy task, how
| ever, since the na5fves are of the most war
| like temperament, of splendid physical
| constitution and not at all inclined to be
ruled by anybody.
Until about 20 years ago the Swats were
| very powerful Then the greatest ahkooud
who ever ruled over them was called away
by death, after reign of so years. 1t was
| this ahkoond whose death inspired the late
George T., Lanigan to write that extraordi-
nary piece of versifcation which alone has
| made fame for the name of the ahkoond
of Swat in the civilized world.
1t is likely that the first thing that the
British will do to strengthen themselves
In the territory they have now safely en-
tered will be to extend the railroad north
from the terminus at Peshawar, since good
roads are always found to have the strong
est sort of influence in thoroughly subGu.
ing savage tribes.