The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1896-09-23

man could ever hope to see. They
have not, as l dare say you know, q
single redeeming feature, being soli-
tary mud buildings which hold the
police aud 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 clay of
the Last Minstrel" aud "drank the
red wine through the helmet barred.
You know the sort of life-rows
with the trihesmen eternally spring
ing up and dying down again in indi-
vidual localities, while as a matter of
fact there was always trouble at one or
more places along the frontier.
At the time l am speaking Of, the
post of commandant of the frontier
forts was not in much quest. 1 don't
know that the authorities at Simla
were much troubled by eager appli-
cants; in fact 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, aud 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 homo sick, and the commandant
pro tenn. was reported to be in daily
fear of his life.
Well, unpleasant as it was, it was
scarcely surprise, when, one morn
ing the assistant adiutant 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 ime," he said.
"Poor So.Gud-so" mentioning the
late commandant) "was shot last
night by some scoundrol, aud 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 sc"
A soldier never has much time to
make his arrangements, and that very
evening l rode out to the forts, having
receive long lecture from the gen.
eral on that confounded word "tact"
which, as we find in the service, is
always on everybody's lips, aud not
understood by one man in a hundred
who uses il.
Well, l must get on with my story,
or we shall he in the Thames before 1
come to the point of it. l never
thought much about tact, but l al
ways believed that Il 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 vengeiul as a Corslcan OF good fam
lily, and will carry his ieuds as far as
self-respecting American desperate.
L 1ucIS are always IeAuJ WIN hull0 OF
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 q w.abiding
country is no match for them, aud 80
my predecessor found to his cost.
They shot him as he was smoking his
pipe after dinner one night, on his
own verauda in view of the guard. OF
course l never found his murderer
l never expected 1 should d-but L did
find that my own system of treatment
paid better than his, aud before very
long had, us the politicians would
have expressed it, established excel.
lent relations with the surrounding
tribesmen.
There was a very simple way OF
testing this. A few hundred yards
from the gate of the fort a former
commandant had made for himself q
garden, sunk q well, and planted trees.
Here most Of the vegetables used by