The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-08-27
THE KHYBER PASS.
Gateway between India and Afghan


istan Place of Tragic Memories.
England's latest Afghan trouble-if such,
as one may fear, it shall prove to be-is on
the very scene of her earliest, says the New
York Tribune The name of the Khyber
pass arouses tragic memories. 1t was fur
Their west, in the Khoord- Cabul pass. close
by Cabul itself, that Elphinstone's army
was massacre0 more than half century
ago. But it was 10 Jellalabad that the one
surviving officer made his escape. 1t was
through the khyber that Pollock led his
avengng army, and in its mighty def.e
that he smote and conquered the wild At
ridis. 1t was there that the Inflated Cava-
gnari met Shere Ais repre- sentative and
with him exchanged words which led TO
murder and another war, and it was
through that pass that the British army
again moved to the invasion of Afghanis-
tam From time immemorial, indeed, the
Kyber has been the great gateway between
India and Afghanistan, and it is to-day the
center of the insurgent storm which dark
ems the whole northwest frontier. Three
places are to be especially noted: Pesha-
wur, Jellalabad and Cabul. They are the
beginning, the middle and the end of the
khyber road. The first Peshawur is a
sort OF Ultima Thule of British rule in In
dla- 1t lies in the very shadow of the Hin
400 hoosh, the fronter having been pushed
forward in sharp bend to include it. The
town lies on a plain, across which a fine
ROAD leads TO the great rock gate which
gives entrance 10 the khyber defile a gate
fastened with the lock and key of the fort
or All MusJid, now beleaguered If not cam
tured by the Afridis. The plain is british
Inc mountains are Afghan. But the pass
itself is the land of tribesmen who pay ale
glance to no one but themselves it is the
DuIter margin of a buffer state.
Inc pass Is twenty miles long and the
nllis are a fuil mile high. There is a fine
road running through it. built by British
engineers. Nowhere along il is The grade
more than one in fifty, and you may drive
a morse ana buggy or coach and four
wur-n you do not mind now and then hnV-
ing "a wheel on the Horns O. the Mornin'
an wheel on the edge O. the Pit" But
that does not mean that il is an easv road
for an army to travel In time OF war on
the contrary, 1t is most difficult II is So
narrow and the hills around II are so i'm
PdSsaDle elsewhere, that small force could
nolu II against great one. Sir Samuel
Brown could never have got through i'm
1873 IL the Afghans had known their f,tsi
ness. North of the pass lies the so-called
19rtara pass, mere goat track. not TO be
trayersed by an army and south of II is
the Bazaar valley. also impossible against
any opposition.
Beyond the Khyber pass lies the great
valley or basin OF Jelalabad. which is the
furthest stable outpost OF the Ameer TO-
ward India. 1t 10 girt about on all sides
BY steer mountain walls. The only gap
IN them lndiaward Is the Khyber Toward
Afghanistan there are three or four one
OF them being the Khoord- Cabul. where
Elphinstone was overwhelmed From Jel-
Ialabad through another mountain gate
way westward ninety miles brings one to
Cabul, the Afghan capital. So the line of
the three points is completed. Peshawur
the seal or British imperial authority: Ca