The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-04-06
THE SWAT VALLEY,
Glance at Its Cruel Type of Native
1mha tants

It cannot, be said that the Swat variety
OF Pathan is a very attractive person, writes
II. W. Lawson, in the London Telegraph.
among Pathans thet Swatis look somewhat
puny ana IN face not less ill-faYored. The
type is intensely SeGlitic, and the race here
fanaucally Mohammedan. 1t would be unfair
TO Judge OF what standard Of civilization they
may De capable just now, for our system of
order mas not yet taken root, and murder
and theft are still things of every day Ire.
Two mornings before my arrival a Sepoy,
III OF continent small pox, was stabbed to
death IN an isolated tent, and it is to be de-
voutly hoped that the public prophecy Of
the political officer of its visitation on the
murderer or murderess may be fulfilled.
only a short time since his sails went down
to the polo ground in the upper valley with
a pony. On the way he was killed by a
Dirghar Swat, who evidently wanted to get
hold of the animal, but after mounting it
took the wrong road and gaileped into party
OF Slkhs returning from drill. One of them
promptly hit the pony over the nose and the
scoundrel fell into their arms. By 10 o'clock
the same morning he had paid the penalty
OF his crime. This sort of outrage is COM
mon enough, and Swat opinion, such it
Is, does not condemn the murdec of Kafflr,'
white or black Sikh or English; but to kill
a Sahib is too dangerous to the tribal pocket
and the tribal existence to be lightly ATTEMPTED
Before long the district will settle down to
more peaceful state From an archaeo-
logical and religious standpoint, this part of
the country is full of a peculiar interest,
for these Swat valleys We're the very seat
ana center OF early buddhism. No mound Is
ever disturbed without great quantities of
Buddhist relics and objects of worship be-
Ing discovered First of all, there are the
statues Of Asoka himself; then groups col
lected around him after the manner of the
medieval pictures of the alteration; and,
lastly, friezes of a classical kind. The taste
and style are somewhat varied, the later
ones betraying the usual evidence Of Hindoo
influence in the grotesqueness of their art.
Most of the earlier kind are full of Greek
types, and were undoubtedly, the result of
the conquest of ALEXANDER the Great. At
Chukdurra, ten miles beyond the Maakund,
there is bridge over the Swat river at a
place where tradition says a certain portion
OF Alexanders army crossed coming into
India the same way our force went up to
Chitral. In the museums some of these
Buddhist memorials have been pieced together,
and in that way show how high was the
artistic power of the artists of early days.
Such is the fanaticism of the Swat population
even now that they hardly bring in
Buddha without first initiating him by chop
ping off the classic nose. Very properly the
finds thus spoiled. earn no rewards. 1t is just
this fanaticism that requires keeping in
check. The brigade at Malakund and at the
various posts and7fOrts is kept at full strength
and not Without need Even So it strikes
the most casual critic that it is too near the
base and too concentrated to keep the Chitral
road as open as lit ought to be. A halfway
house will soon zhave to be found and fur
nished.