Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1896-10-05

have not, as | dare say you know, q
single redeeming feature being soli-
tary mud buildings which hold the
police and native troops who are sup
posed to overawe the tribesmen, and
which, except the commandant and
the doctor, don't offer many attrac-
tions in the way of society. You
know what frontier service in the old
days was like. ForaYs by the trades
men, and punitive expeditions by the
Sirkar, carried to such an extent that
we almost realized the idea of
"Branksome Tower" in the "Lay of
the Last MINSTREL" aud "drank the
red wine through the helmet barred. I"
You know the sort of life-rows
with the tribesmen eternally SPRING
ing up and dying down again in indi-
vidual localities, while as q matter of
fact there was always trouble at one or
more places along the frontier.
At the time am speaking of, the
post of command2nt of the frontier
forts was not in much quest. I don't
know that the authorities at Simla
were much troubled by eager appli-
cants; in fact l think the general at
Peshawur usually detailed some un-
lucky major from the Staff Corps and
sent him nolens volens to hold the
fort as long as he could with decency
be made to stay. There was trouble
brewing that April, and in Peshawur
we all knew it. How it come about
we none of us cared much, but the
man before the then incumbent had
gone home sick, and the commaudant
pro TEN. was reported to be in daily
fear of his life.
Well, unpleasant as it was, it was
scarcely q surprise, when, one morn
ing the assistant adjutant general
rode up to my bungalow in great ex :
citement, and told me was to out at
once and assume command of the
forts.
You're to lose no time," be said.
"Poor So-and-so" mentioning the
late commandant twas shot last
night by some scoundrel, and the
general wants you to try and find out
who did it. The police are making
inquiries, but you know what that
means. By the way, he wants to see
You before you co.
A soldier never has much time to
make his arrangements, and that very
evening l rode out to the forts, having
receive a long lecture from the gen
eral on that confounded word "tact"
which, as we find in the service, is
always on everybody's lips, and not
understood by one man in hundred
who uses it.
Well, I must get on with my story,
or we shall be in the Thames before |
come to the point of it. | never
thought much about tact, but al
ways believed that well-born native
is as much gentleman as an English
duke. and will behave to you just as
you treat him. | soon discovered my
unfortunate predecessor had tried to
ride rough-shod over the tribesmen,
and had made his hand felt in every
corner of his command. A Pathan Is
as vengeful as Corsican of good fam
lily, and will carry his teuds as far as
self-respecting American desperate.
There are always ready with knife or
rifle to exact vengeance from any
enemy, and near Peshawur will often
murder the wrong man, If they can't
find the right. An Englishman who is
accustomed to living in law-abiding
country is no match for them, and 80
my predecessor found to his cost.
They shot him as he was smoking his
pipe after dinner one night, on his
own veranda in view of the guard. OF
course / never found his murderer
never expected l should-but did
find that my own system of treatment
paid better than his, and before very
long had, as the politicians would
have expressed it, Established excel
lent relations with the surrounding
tribesmen."
There was very simple way of
testing this. A few hundred yards
from the gate of the fort q former
commandant had made for himself
garden, sunk we'll, and planted trees.
Here most Of the vegetables used by