The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1895-08-23


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 Chitra1 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 Penjdeh incident. Just
what the latter amounted to does not mat
ter at this time, but the complications to
which it gave rise were so serious as to
cause the establishment of a British resi-
dence at Chitral and the extension OF a su-
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 and the Mo
mands and the countries known as Bajaur
and Dir. Amir Mulk, a younger son
in the reigning 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 mehtar
in Chitral until recently. The younger
brother, however, who had fallen into
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 n rock pile near which the mehtar
must pass, shot the unfortunate ruler dead
and proclaimed himself mehtar. Then one
Sher Afzul, an uncle of the two, appeared
and said he had better right TO be mehtar
of Chitral than had Amir-ul -AIulk. Sher
AfZul got help from UInra Khan, the say
age ruler of Jhandol, and the combined
forces of the two attacked the British resi-
dence of Chitral and cut of the supplies of
Mr.. Robertson, the resident there. and his
garrison. There was danger that Robert
son and his supporting force would bc
wiped out, and it was this tlAt c;ll;scd
General Sir Robert c. Low 10 Ec sent To
ChitraI rom Peshawar
At the latter place and the nearby sta
tions OF Nowshera and Hoti about 13. 600
British troops, including the historic guide
corps founded by Colonel LuInsdcn, 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-
cd 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 the relief party had
to pass is of the most broken description
and abounds in narrow. dark defiles be-
tween prccipitous heights. While Colonel
Battye and his men We're marching through
one of these straitened passages a body of
natives massed at the top of the cliffs and
rolled down a perfect torrent of powders
upon the devoted heads of the British, not
one Of whom was left alive. However, in
spite of this and other sctbacks, 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 ut least, and the
British will no doubt proceed to thorough
ly subjugate the Swats and other tribes
which assisted Sher Afzul and Umra
Khan. This will not be an easy task, how
ever, since the natives are of the most war
like temperament, Of splendid physical
constitution and not at all inclined TO be
ruled by anybody.
Until about 20 yeas ago the Swats We're
yc-y powerful Then the greatest ahkoond
.-GO ever ruled over them was called away |
l.- death. after reign Of 5Oyears. II was
..l- aLiscCnd whose death inspired the late |
George =. il.nicgiu To write that extraordi- |
naTy piece Of vCrsilcatiOn which alone has |
made fame for Tie naIue of the ahkoOnd |
Of Swat in the civilized world.
1t Is likely that the first thing that the |
British viii 10 To strengthen themselves |
in the territory they have now safely en-
tered will Be u extend the railroad north |
from the terminus ut Peshawar, since good |
roads are always found TO have the strong |
est sort OF influence in thoroughly subdu- |
ing savage tribes