Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1896-05-13
STORY WITHOUT END.
MYSTERY OF TWO BEINGS WHO
CROSSED THE NARRATOR'S PATH.


MYSTERY OF TWO BEINGS WHO
CROSSED THE NARRATOR'S PATH.
The Handsome Young Pathan Prisoner
Whose Knife Was Stained With Blood.
The Young Girl Who Presented Silver
Ring-Were the Two Connected?
1t was Oh the I'd of January, 1879,
that General Roberts left Hazar Pr
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 semblance
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, as
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
infdel 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 dissertation.
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 a 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
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 befell which I now seek to mar
rate.
In lonely valley party Of my Sikh
infantry brought before me Pathan
prisoner, saying: 'Here is a 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 Waziri, q 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-
terlnined to fulfill the spirit of instruc-
lions, 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 it. TWAS thickly
coated with fairly fresh blood.
For moment I 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 all enemy in
fair fight-questions of course were use
less. Finally, with some misgivings as
to whether I was strictly obeying orders
and amid the scowls and murmurs OF
the Sikhs, who were quite strange to my
command, I gave the young man back
his knife and sent him Oh 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 a
low hill
Some hours Of march followed, and
the care Of massing the long, unwieldy
line Of camels in q column on each small
plain, before again filing the next pass,
precaution necessary to enable my rear
guard to be within hail in case of attack
on SO tempting and easy a prey, fully
absorbed me and drove the preceding IN
cident clean from my head.
Suddenly became aware Of a 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 a 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 1 was
meant to take the ring, 1 did so, the
girl, about II, showing that she meant
I 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 a few
rupees, which she refused petulantly. 1
| turned to the HindCo sowars who rode
| behind me and asked what it all meant,
| but they only laughed unpleasantly, as
| if to say, "What can q Mussulman and
woman mean except what is contemp-
tible?" SO that, angry at their scorn and
possible misconceptions, I flung the girl
back her ring and babe her BECOME. She
| left, muttering and apparently still anx-
| ious to explain, but q troop OF horsemen
now appeared ca 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
reconnoiter them more closely.
They turned out to be friendly "jr-
gah," CT aeputation, seeking General
Roberts, but this fresh incident drove
the last again from my thoughts, and
later on concluded my march without
| frrthor hafa11inr
1t was not till weeks after that I
| thought Of connecting the act of the girl
with a possible wish 10 express gratitude
for the husband CT lover who had such
q narrow escape at my hands. But I
never heard any further explanation,
nor did those who knew best the Afghan
character think this Interpretation a
likely one.
I suppose shall never know more OF
the two beings who on that day only
literally crossed my path.-United Serv-
ice Magazine.
Reading the Newspaper.
"What a newspaper reading people we
arep" said Mr.. Collin. ''It seems as
IL j. I.