The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1896-05-12
STORY WITHOUT END.
MYSTERY OF TWO BEINGS WHO
CROSSED THE NARRATOR'S PATH.
Tho Handsome Young Pathan Prisoner
Whose Knifo Was Stained with Blood.
The Young Girl Who Presented Silver
Rfng-Wcro tho Two Connected?


The Young Girl Who Presented Silver
Ring-wcro tho Two Connected?
1t was on the I'd of January, 1879,
hat General Roberts left Hazar PHI
Ziarat to subdue the Khost district, an
unsophisticated country where the rev.
enue had hitherto been collected in cop
per, and up to this date the scmblance
Of the rupee had not been known.
Hazar Pr Ziarat (the shrine of a
thousand Enthusiastically old men) was
hardly even village, and only the day
preceding some six or seven had been
added to the number of saints, rs
batch Of murderous marauders had been
executed, and dying in the faith, shout
ing the fatmah and acknowledging
nothing but piety in their attempts ON
infidel life, their corpses had doubtless
rendered their graves sanctified ground,
and so added to the Ziarat-in these
parts q holy grove generally Of olive.
to fell which is desecration.
As the Tenth hussars spread cheerily
into order covering the advance, their
bright pouch belt bucl1les(the last glitter
left after even stirrups had been dulled)
sparkling i'll the bright sunlight IS they
threaded among the camel thorn sprin-
killed. over the plain, the writer diverged
from the advance, having to convoy
with small escort of cavalry and in
fantry long train Of some 900 empty
camels ordered to the advance base to
fill up with supplies. My way lay among
hills bordering the right bank of the
Kurrun river, and / sooif lost sight of
the force moving on Matoun and fiji
ished the days march without any adj
venture. On the Sd Of january the in
cidents befell which I now seek to mar
rate.
In lonely valley party of my Sikh
infantry brought before INC Pathan
prisoner, saying: Here is n man who
has been caught concealing his arms. 1t
has been ordered by General Roberts
that all such shall be dispatched. May
we kill him?''
Now, this was hard saying.
The young man appeared by his head
gear to be n Waziri, Il not unfricndly
tribe, which, however, furnished not n
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 Il plaid. His face
was handsome, open and fearless, but
such was the mien of all Afghans-often
seen on the most cold blooded fiends.
l 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. 1t was thickly
coated with fairly fresh blood.
For moment l 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 rs
to whether l was strictly obeying orders
and amid the scowls and murmurs of
the Sikhs, who were quite strange to my
command, 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 massing the long, unwieldy
line of camels in column on each small
plain, before again filing the next pass,
appreciation necessary to enable my rear
guard to be within hail i'll case of attack
on so tempting and easy prey, fully
absorbed 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 silver ring set
with turquoise. This seemed to me a
very unusual act from Mussulman
and Pathan, where seclusion is so
strictly the rule, and had no idea as to
the meaning she wished to convey, my
Pushtoo being unequal to the dialect she
spoke, and indeed scanty enough at all
times However, seeing that was
meant to take the ring, 1 did so, the
girl. about II, showing that she meant
should take it from her. Even then
she made no effort to leave, and so,
imagining perhaps that she wanted mon
ey for some purpose, offered her few
rupees, which she refused petulantly. l
turned to the Hindoo sowars who rode
behind me and asked what it all meant,
but they only laughed unpleasantly, az
if to say, "What can Mussulman and
a woman mean except what is contemp-
tible?" SO that, angry at their scorn and
possible misconceptions, flung the girl
back her ring and babe her begone. She
left, muttering and apparently still anx-
iOus to explain, but troop of horsemen