The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-09-20
STORIES ABOUT AFRIDIS.
An Ex-Indian Officers Anecdotes Re-
veal Their characteristics.
tier In Pail Mall GaZett

| Writer in Pail Mall Gazette.
| AS inspector of forests 1 got to know the
| Punjab pretty well, particularly on its
northern border, and the neighborins Afri-
dis l came in contact with lots
| or them in a quite unofficial capacity,
| and the first conviction l came to about
| your Afridi is that he is a born lighter
and isn't he splendidly adapted to it?
Then, next 10 a fighter, your Afridi is
| bora thief and liar. These two accomplish
ments run together among Orientals
/ rhieVing is a recognized occupation among
! them, and lying follows quite as natural
/ consequence. IRON preference they steal
! from stranger; if a stranger is not in
! stock to be robbed they Will steal from
| even their own relations. The main thing
| is that something must be stolen, so steal
| from your brother faute de mieux And they
/ are so frank and open with 1t all. Why,
| remember going on a tour of inspection
! with g. OF course, we went on horse
/ back taking two mounts each Now, C
| had a very favorite angling pony, an es-
/ peclally useful animal, which he priced
highly sort Of spotted piebald which we
night one days ride from Peshawar In the
| morning C-'s servant informed him that
the. Sahih surely could not Journey that
day" And why not?" ''Well, chiefly that
the sahibs horses had been stolen in the
/ night" Now there was an Afridi trader
VINO used regularly to visit c. when
coming to Peshawar, until they became
/ thorough good friends And a very good
| fellow this Afridi was, but a known horse
| stealer. C had been with him in PeSh-
| awar the day we started. Coupling this
| fact with the disappearance of the cattle,
|
| stolen the horses. C Immediately sent
| this individual friendly message asking
! him to come down and see him at once
! which he did. C-'s first remark, that
it was rather too much to steal the horses
of a man with whom he had been on the
| friendliest of terms, was answered with
! sympathetic acquiescence that 1T was
| hard, but what could be done? And a look
accompanied the remark which as much as
from your friend?' pleaded C who long
! and earnestly urged for the return of his
| horses and pointed out his present diem
ma, unable without horses to go back
| forward. Well, in the end, after C had
| laid down the whole duties, and a little
over, of friendship with an eloQuence that
| his most intimate friends never suspected
him of, the Afridi said that as c. was
| his friend, his very dear friend, he would
and return Pudding, but he would really
| be obliged to ask a very high price for the
| other horse Which had to be paid before
| the journey could be continued, and with
out any breach in the relations u. these two
though C was afterward little more
careful with his property when receiving
! visit from his very dear friend.
| But in some respects they have very
highly developed sense of honor For in
| stance, suppose one Afridi borrows a sum
| of money, say So, from another the lender
| will give him a slip of paper with the loan
written out on it, just reminder that he
/ has borrowed that sum. Well suppose the
| borrower dies before his debt is repaid, his
family, finding this paper with the amount
| of the loan and the lenders name, will pay
the total sum to the lender, although the
| latter may be totally unknown to them
and without the slightest doubt as to the
| genuineness of the debt. This shows a sense
| of honor in money-lending matters to
which it would be hard to find parallel at
| home just now.
And in another way they look upon it as
! strict moral obligation to aVenge any in
| suit or injury done to themselves or their
family, and as this vengeance generally
| ends in the death of one of the parties, no
| cost is so great to prevent its being car
ried out. This is very often the cause of
| desertion from the army. There are lots
] of Afridis in the Indian army, and very
/ good and reliable soldiers they make except
on points of religion, or, as | say, in case
! of a family feud. 1t may be that an Afridi
| possibly one of the most trustworthy men
| in the regiment, suddenly disappears talk
ing with him his rifle and a goodish few
rounds of government ammunition After
| lapse of time, which may vary from
week to a month or more, the deserter re-
turns with his rifle but minus his ammuni-
tion and quietly gives himself up to the
authorities. Subsequent inquiry generally
! brings to light a visit from some member
| of the deserter's family with a tale of in
| suit offered or injury or damage done to
property Whichever it may be, it calls for
vengeance and for hardness and cheap
ness there is nothing better for the purpose
| than the rifle and ammunition supplied by
the government. Vengeance having been
wreaked-or, as the Afridi thinks, justice
! done-he assuming that he survives the ad-
ministration CT discipline, returns and will
ingly serves the sentence passed upon him
for deSert1on, at the expiration or Whlch
| time he becomes again the exemplary SOL
der that he was so long as his family or
his family's property remains unmolested.
1t is difficult to say how far the Afridi
| looks upon stealing and thieving as moral
offences, but the following story, if it does
not throw a light into the dark recesses
of the Afridi mind at least testifies to its
power of retort a certain officer whose
duty it was to suppress the parties of ma
| rauding Afridis on the northern frontier
| while interviewing one of the headmen of
the tribe showed him his ramly crest, a
spur and feather Asked to explain the
meaning of it, the officer with little
pride, pointed out his descent from Scot
| fish border family, and explained the
| tom of serving up a dish which lay a
spur and feather, the sign that the larder
was empty, and that food must be foraged
for and, warming to his subject, he en-
Iarged upon the courage displayed by his
| ancestors on these marauding expeditions
I'm fact" retorted the headman, you are
| proud of that in your ancestors which you
| are here to prevent me doing" And it
was part of this officers duty to report
officially the conversation that takes place
! at interviews of this kind. Let hope that
| particular official not devoid of gifts
to make the most of this incident.