The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1896-07-02
STORY WITHOUT END.
MYSTERY OF TWO BEINGS WHO
CROSSED THE HARRAToR'S PATH.


Ring-were the Two Connecticut
1t was ON the I'd of January, 1879
that General Roberts left Hazar Phi
Ziarat TO subdue the Khost district, al
unsophisticated country where the rev
enue had hitherto been collected in cop
per, and up to ibis date the semblancs
of the rupee had not been known.
Hazar Pr Ziarat (the shrine of {
thousand Enthusiastically old men) wa,
hardly even a village, and only the day
preceding some six or seven had beer
added TO the number OF saints, as
batch Of murderous marauders had beer
executed, and dying in the faith, shout
ing the fatmah and acknowledging
nothing but piety In G'2eir attempts OF
infidel life, their corpses had doubtless
rendered their graves sarctified ground,
and SO added TO the 2iarat-.in these
parts holy grove, g.nerally of olive,
TO fell which is dissertation.
AS the Tenth hussarz spread cheerily
into order covering tbe advance, their
bright pouch belt buckles{the last glitter
left after even stfs1ups had been dulled)
SPARKLING III the bright sunlight as they
threaded among the cansel thora sprir-
kled over the plain, the writer Lsverged
from the advance, having to convey
with small escort of cavalry and i'll
fantry long train of some 900 empty
camels ordered TO the advance base to
fill up with supplies. lily way lay among
hills bordering the right bank of the
Kurrum river, and soon lost sight of
the force moving ON Matoun and fin
ished the days march without any adj
venture. On the Sd of January the in
cidents befeu which I now seek to mar
rate.
In a lonely valley party Of my Sikh
infantry brought before me Pathan
prisoner, saying: "Here is man who
has been caught concealing his arms It
has been ordered by General Roberts
that all such shall be dispatched. May
we kill him?''
Now, this was a hard saying.
The young man appeared by his head
gear to be Waziri, not unfriendly
tribe, which, however, furnished not a
few lawless depredators. His only arm
was the long Afghan knife, necessary
for his own protection perhaps, and in
the cold weather it appeared not unnat-
ural that he should wrap himself in his
thin outer colored scarf, worn somewhat
after the fashion of a plaid. His face
was handsome, open and fearless, but
such was the mien of all Afghans-often
seen on the most cold blooded fiends.
I could not, however, though de-
termined to fulfill the spirit of instruc-
tions, at once hand him over to the bay
onet, and, saying, ooh, his knife is only
for harmless use or protection, took
it from him and drew it. Tt was thickly
coated with fairly fresh blood
For a moment could have handed
him over to death, but reason told me
that this was no additional evidence of
murder. He might have slain goat or
sheep. he might have met an enemy in
fair fight-questions of course were use
less. Finally, with some misgivings as
to whether was strictly obeying orders
and amid the scowls and murmurs of
the Sikhs, who We're quite strange to my
gave the young man back
his knife and sent him on his way
He left gracefully and courteously,
showing neither in his smiling face nor
in his elastic gait one single sign of
guilt or fear, and soon his erect figure
was lost TO my view over the brow of
low hill.
Some hours of march followed, and
the care of massirg the long, unwieldy
line of camels in q column ON each small
plain, before again filing the next pass,
a precaution necessary to enable my rear
guard to be within hail in case of attack
On SO tempting and easy prey, fully
me and drove the preceding in
cident clean from my head.
Suddenly became aware of young
Pathan girl running beside my horse
and holding up TO me a silver ring set
with turquoise. This seemed to me a
very unusual act from Mussulman
md a Pathan, where sec1usion is so
strictly the rule, and I had no idea as TO
he meaning she wished to convey. my
oushtoo being unequal TO the dialect she
spoke, and indeed scanty enough at all
lines However, seeing that L was
meant to take the ring, did so, the
yirl, about IL, showing that she meant
should take it from her. Even then
he made no effort to leave, and so,
perhaps that she wanted mon
y for some purpose, l offered her few
upees, which she refused petulantly. I
urned TO the Hindoo sowars who rode
behind me and asked what it all meant,
,ut they only laughed unpleasantly, as
f to say, 'What can a Mussulman and
woman mean except what is contemp-
ible?" so that, angry at their scorn and
'ossible misconceptions, flung the girl
Jack her ring and babe her BECOME. She !
eft, muttering and apparently still anx-
Gus to explain, out troop of horsemen
low appeared ON the plain, and whirl-
ng their long lances round their heads |
antered shouting toward Us. The Sikh
Infantry closed their files and prepared /
o receive them, and went forward 70 I
them more closely.
They turned out TO be friendly 'jir- |
ah," or deputation, seeking General /
roberts, but this fresh incident drove /
he last again from my thoughts, and /
alter ON 1 concluded my march without T
urther Detailing.