The Indianapolis journal., 1897-08-26
"THE HERO OF CHITRAL."
Sir George Robertson Discusses the
Inrfsing of Ennnfics.


TORONTO, Ont. Aug 25-'It is a very
serious matter This is the concerned
opinion of Sir George Scott Robertson re-
garding the Afrid uprising in India ex-
pressed for the Tribune to-day. But" he
added, lit is more sad than serious. The
government of India has been trying siren
uously to bring about friendly relations
with these tribes and it has failed. / think
myself the trouble is due to a general out
burst of fanaticism which occurs from
time to time, as we all know amongst peo-
pie of the Mohammedan faith and which
cannot be guarded against. 1 think the
tribesmen have been reused by the success
of the Sultan of Turkey against the Greeks.
They may think we are unfriendly to the
Mohammedan power, and of course we are
fighting their forces in the Soudan. This
sort of feeling is famed by the mullahs or
Mohammedan priests, of whom there are a
large number, especially in the Swat coun-
try. The Swatis are remarkable for their
extreme fanaticism. 1t is the Swatis even
more than the Afridi that are to be dreaded
in the present outbreak. This is not a
belliOn.
There is an extremely erroneous idea
prevailing throughout the United States
that the present trouble is a revolt of some
OF the British dependencies against our
government. Nothing could be more mis-
taken. Inc Afr1dlS and the SWatiS both
lndependent-tribes, over which England has
rot even prOtectorate. They dwell be-
yond the Indian frontier and we never pre-
tend in the least to dictate to them.
The Afridis are subsidized by the Eng
lish to keep the Khyber pass open, and
are generally treated well. That is the ex-
tent of our dealings with them. The Swatis
are similarly situated with regard to the
English. After Chitral was relieved in the
last war military road was opened up
through the Swatis country, and is main
tained by the English. Some money is
paid the tribe for this privilege
There can only be one outcome of
course, said the venerable defender of
Chitral. The tribesmen can never hope to
succeed against the enormous military
power of England in India, and the trouble
will not last long, either. 1t IS an unfortu-
nate matter, but ultimately a serious loss
to England. England has plenty of troops
therein fact, an almost unlimited guam
tity. The only trouble is to mobilize them
quickly enough That has been the diff
Guilty up to the present time, but now that
started with field guns to relieve the Khy
Der pass l think the worst is over. AS for
the Afridis, they. number anywhere from
10000 to 10000 fighting men, but they are
poorly armed and undsciplned.
20 yes, | repeat there can only be one
outcome and it will not take long to settle
the matter No, do not think there is any
grave fear that the scenes of the India mu-
tiny will be repeated. think the trouble
A little confiagration occurs on the frontier
and it is always liable to spread. The thing
is to stamp it out before it has obtained
any headway, and this 1 believe will be
done.
MY only feeling is one of sadness do
not believe that there will be many of the
English killed. / lack unlimited faith in
the dispatches which state that Fort Maude
and Fort Almusja are taken. If they have
fallen the Afridi are doing better than l
expected. But as it stands l only sorrow
to think that after the Indian government
has striven fairly and peaCeably to quiet
affairs on the Indian frontier its efforts
should apparently have been in vain. But
the tribesmen do not want peace. They
have but a very small quantity Of culti-
vatable land and for centuries have levied
blackmail on travellers and made raids
across the frontier. That is the position
we have got to face"
In appearance Sir George is we'll worth
looking at A firmly knit muscular figure,
bronzed features aglow with health a we'll
shaped head showing tendency to bald
ness, a mustache, which a long residence
in an atmosphere of danger and frequent
privations has tended to prematurely
whiten. Such are his principal physical
characteristics. He is famous throughout
the British empire on account of his heroic
defense of Chitral in 1895 against Umra
Khan and Sher Afzue, two powerful Pay
than chiefs. From that time he has been
called ''the Hero of Chitral."