The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1896-07-08
STORY WITHOUT END.
MYSTERY or TWO BEINGS WHO
CROSSED The NARRAToR's PATH.
The Handsome Young Pathan Prisoner
Whose Knife Was stained with Blood.
Tho Young Girl who Presented . silver
Riux-Were the Two Connectede

| King were tne Nv" N"""''"
1t was on the pa of January, 1879.
that General Roberts left Hazar Pin
Ziarat TO subdue the Khost district, Al
unsophisticated country where the rev
enue had hitherto been collected in cop
per, and mp To this date the semblanct
Of the rupee had not been known.
Hazar Pr Ziarat (the shrine OF 9
thousand enthusiastically old mem was
hardly even village, ard only the day
preceding some six or seven had beer
added to the number Of saints, as q
batch of murderous marauders had been
executed, and dying in the faith, shout
ing the fatmah and acknowledging
nothing but piety in their attempts or
infidel life, their corpses had doubtless
rendered their graves sanctified ground,
and so added to the Ziarat-in these
parts holy grove, generally of olive,
10 fell which Is decoration.
As the Tenth hussars spread cheerily
into order covering the advance, their
bright pouch belt buckles( the last glitter
left after even stirrups had been dulled,
sparkling in the bright sunlight as 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 "a 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
Kurrum river, and | soon lost sight Of
the force moving ON Matoun and fin
ished the days march without any adj
venture. On the 3D. of January the liz
cidents befell which now seek to mar
rate.
In a lonely valley party of my Sikh
infantry brought before me a Pathan
prisoner, saying: Here is 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 10 be "A WaZiri, not unfriendly
tribe, which, however, furnished not
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 plaid. His face
was handsome, open and fearless but
such was the mien of all Afghans-often
seen on the most cold blooded fiends.
Il Il
termined to fulfill the spirit of instruc-
tions, at once hand him over to the bay
onet, and, saying, "Oh, his knife is only
for harmless use or protection, took
it from him and drew l.. 1t 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 a goat or
sheep, he might have met an enemy in
fair fght-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 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 i'll his smiling face nor
i'll his elastic gait one single sign of
guilt or fear, and soon his erect figure
was lost TO my view over the brow Of a
low hill
Some hours of march followed and
the care Of massing the long, unwieldy
line Of camels in column OH each small
plain, before again filing the next pass,
Il precaution necessary TO enable my rear
guard to be within hail i'm 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 mp to me silver ring set
with a 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 ut all
times. However. seeing that was
meant to take the ring, / did so, the
girl, about IL, showing that she meant
| should take it from her. Even then
she made no effort to leave, and so,
perhaps that she wanted mon
ey for some purpose, / offered her few
rupees, which she refused petulantly.
turned to the Hindoo sowars who rode
behind ma and asked what it all meant.
but they only laughed unpleasantly, as
if to say, "What can a Mussulman and
a woman mean except what is contemp-
tible!' 50 that, angry at their scorn and
possible misconceptions, flung the girl
back her ring and babe her BECOME. She
left, muttering and apparently still anx-
ious to explain, but troop Of horsemen
now appeared on the plain, and whirl-
ing their long lances round their heads
cantered shouting toward u.s. The Sikh
infantry closed their files and prepared
to receive them, and went forward to
reconpoiter them more closely.
They turned out to be friendly cir
gah, or deputation, seeking General
Roberts, but this fresh incident drove
the last again from my thoughts, and
later on ! concluded my march without
further Detailing.
1t was not till weeks after that /
thought OF connecting the act Of the girl
with possible wish to express gratitude
for the husband or lover who had such
"a narrow escape mt my hands. But !
never heard any further explanation,
nor did those who knew best the Afghan
character think this Interpretation a
likely one.