The true Democrat. [volume] (Bayou Sara [La.]) 1892-1928, 1897-10-09
WHERE EMPIRES MEET,
BRlTlSH.INDIAN RAMPANT ALONG
THE ROOF OF THE WORLD,

Chitral, India, is the one borde
State which touches the Russian from
Tier and also the Chinese. 1t is tn
lpex of the British Indian wedge
lriven to the heart Of the continent
to meet the apices of two other i'm
oerial wedges driven home to the sam
goal. The Russian advance first drc1
attention to it, or something more thai
mere attention. Captain Younghus
oand, travelling in tnaJ region, sud
1enly came upon o Russian militar,
force under the famous pioneer Of con
quest, Captain Grombchevsky, or hi
,olaborer, Captain Yonoff. The latte
had actually come through the passes
Of the Hindoo Koosh and advanced
down the slopes. On meeting th'
British party, the Russians made .
mighty show of innocence, as though
merely travelling for health and pleas
ure, and so by an easy circuit moved
back to their own land
But the incident set Slmla and Cal
cutta to thinking, and Downing stree
as we'll. Chitral was closely watched
Every murder of a Mehtar was taker
into account And when a series oil
such tragedies made the throne seem
unstable, and the Kahn of Jandol
planned to conquer it, and the Ameel
of Afghanistan prepared to seize both
Chitral and Jandol, and. Russia was
deemed ready to seize them all, the
gods of things as they are began to
consider the things that are to be. A
British force was sent to Chitral, to
make permanent garrison and keep
the throne secure. A highway was
opened up from Peshawar, up which
the loyal legions Of the Sikhs and Pun
jabis could hasten, should need be, to
guard the passes And subsidy was
settled on the Mehtar, thus making
him vassal of the British Indian EN-.
pire.
The masses Of the tribesmen Of the
bills are loyal to the British, under
constraint of circumstances, if not
through heartfelt love. They are all
Pathans, save the nondescript Kafrs,
and have the well-known characteris-
tics Of the Pathsn race The old story
that they are Greeks. descended from
colony planted by "Macedonia's
Madman," is to be dismissed. Some
traces of Greek forms, in implements
and weapons, may be discerned; but
of Greek types Of body, face Or mind
not one.
More plausible by far is the self
cherished legend Of Hebrew origin.
The Semitic type is Enthusiastically
evident. They coll themselves Chill.
dren of Israel. They observe many of
the peculiar rites of the Mosaic law.
They keep the Passover. They keep
the Year of Jubilee, with its release of
debtors and redistribution Of the land. |
They wear the historic garb OF Israel
ties. Their names are echoes from the
roll-call of the Pentateuch. Ages Of
Mahometanism have obliterated many
Hebrew practices, and made them as
tanatically loyal to the Prophet as any
tribe Of Islam. Yet he who studies
can scarcely doubt the truthfulness of
their boast. "We have Abraham for
our father"
\ The Pathan type is distinctly diff.
[erent from that Of any other Hindoo
Nationality. You con pick a Pathan
out in Hindoo crowd, unhesitatingly
md unerring ly. He is big and bony.
de walks with long, easy stride that
teens slow, but covers the ground
'wiftly. His cheek bones are prom
hent, his lips full, his nose aquiline.
d dis skin is swarthy, but. not brown,
like that of the Hindoos further south.
As the men grow old, especially among
The well'to-do classes, they dye their
boards a bright red, in order that the
yrayness of age may not be visible.
Many of them have naturally fair hair
md boards and light blue eyes. In
heir clothing blue and white are the
most common colors, and both are
alngled in the turban. Long jackets
md cloaks are worn, and in cold
weather. sheepskin robe covers both,
he wool being inside and the leather
utslde, adorned with elaborate silk
Embroidery. At such times q leather
kull cap, or sometimes leather he'll
net coming down over the ears, is
'orn instead of tho turbau.
The women commonly dress in red
nd blue, wearing trousers and long
loak, with which they cover their
ices when meeting strangers. The
len ore universally armed with long,
traight Afghan knives, with ivory
andes. Another common weapon is
10 jezail, which is all enormously
ing musket with o carved and ornate
;ock and slender rod to support the
uzzle while firing. The sword COM {
only used is the common tulwar, or 6
urkish scimitar. In addition to these I
great variety Of weapons of all kinds
European makes are to be found I
nong them. c
The Pathans of the hills are chiefly c