New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-07-31


arettes which apparently had no charms %,
them. he presently rolled himself up In his ruy.
and wearied alike In mind and body aunlsI
himself not unsuccessfully to xooing sleep
Twenty four hours later a band Of Patban,
who had been lying idly ali day on the ridge .;
the Kangi Pass by which alone Dit can bs
approached from :he east, suddenly woke jn,o
activity. Far away In the gut Of the pass thei,
keen eyes had noticed a little cloud Of dust ma
the CLINT OF a rife barrel. and each looked n
the priming OF his jezail, and snuggled cloas,
down among the rocks in which they lay hid
den. Presently little company Of five mounted
men hove In sight. slowly making its way up
the pass and one Of the watchers on the hillside
grunted out: This must be they. Five men on
horse back, in green, and one Feringh wearing
blue chashmaks.
man: 'let them give the signal and then we win
sre whether they be the true men or not Re.
sides they lack one In number. having no guide"
Rut II soon appeared that this was the party
they were expecting Tor az II reached ruinous
bridge spanning a mountain torrent II halted
and the white man, riding forward by himself
TO the middle Of the bridge. fred six shots from
a revolver three to his right and three TO his
left and simultaneously the tribesmen rose
from their hiding place and descended TO where
the strangers were awaiting them. short
barley en:ued. while the leader OF the latter
explained that his guide Tor private reasons
had refused to accompany MIN 70 DIT, and had
gone back to await his return, halfway to
Reshat: and then. among them the first white
man who had entered the country for over two
thousand years. the whole party moved slowly
on into the heart Of Diltistan
The morrows sun broke bright over the val.
lev OF Dit one Of a type common enough in
Afghanstan and on the northwestern frontier
~ Irdia OF large extent, and surrounded by ORE.
cipjtous mountain rarges IL is thckly studded
with fortified villages, further protected by
squat looking castles or fortresses round which
lie stretches of rudely cultivated land and oc-
casional groves OF trees: and chief among them
tyhich only gives
tho district but is the residence II the khan
who Yields more or less nominal sway over the
same II was from the fiat roof II this poten.
tate's castle that a gentleman In green uni
form and wearing blue spectacles surveyed
not without inward msgiyings, the numerous
jirgahs which under the leadership q the var-
Gus maliks Of the valley, were making their
way 70 an adjoining grove OF walnut trees
where the days durbar was apparently 10 be
held He and his escort had arrived 50 late on
the previous night that he had not been able
as he had hoped TO gain a private interview
with the khan. and further ef.0rt 70 do SO that
morning had been met by the mint that all ne
gotiatiOns must be conducted IN open durbar
course which the blue-spectacled officer mad
been particularly anxious 70 AVOID. However.
he was not one OF those who turn back after
putting their hand TO the plough. He fully
recognized that he must go through with his
appointed task, and having had final inter-
view with one Of his own men-a great strap
ping fellow, more like an Afghan than Turco-
man-it was with an unmOved face, whatever
his inward thoughts, that he presently took his
seat in the durbar. the cynosure Of thousand
scowIing eyes. and in course Of time rose 10 ad
dress it. in fluent Pushtoo. For the sake Of
hrevity his speech shall be summarized In par.
liamentary form. 1t was to this effect
The sirkar Of his master. the great White
Car had sent him TO counsel the Khan Of Dit
and his tribesmen not to make war on the Eng.
lish sirkar. Qncreduous astonishment) More.
over, the Car could not send them either the
rifles or the money they had been led 70 expect,
.~lx4 at,aa kagr NJ
it would make war on him. and-here the
speaker spat on the ground with apparent Dis
gust-who could withstand the English? lsen.
sationD True. they were dogs and sons OF
dogs, but they were more countless IN NUMBER
than the sand Of the desert, and possessed in
addition all the riches Of the earth. Then too
they were devils incarnate. knowing not fear;
why, in the last war they had MADE against
Russia but six hundred Of their aCcursed cav
airy had ridden dowr a whole army Of MS mas.
ters. the Car. The speakers emotion prob
ably prevented him from adding that nearly
half a century had passed since them (DerisWe
murmurs) In fine the Dilts were e. under.
stand that neither nov nor in the future were
they TO expect any assistance from the Russian
srkar which, moreover. could not entirely over.
look the fact that. odious they were, the
English were Christians, and believers in the
same God as the Russians. After few more
remarks. showing that however much TIE
Cars Government dsliked the English srkar,
Il was equally afraid of it, and was, moreover.
much rent with internal strife at home the
speaker advised his hearers 10 return 10 the
reaping and storing of their crops, and not 10
run the risk Of provoking the might OF the Ens.
lish
For some time after the speaker had resumed
his seat his life hung by the proverblai hair.
fact of which he was perfectly aware. The
Dilts felt they had been grossly tricked and de-
ceived: they had only reluctantly allowed TINS
infdel 70 come among them a guarantee that
his srkar would fulfil his promise Of sending
them rifles and ammunition with which they
were less we'll supplied than other and more
civiliZed-if such an expression can lie used
Afridi tribes; and behold, in the place o. bread
he had offered them stone. and advised them
TO be good boys and attend 10 their sowing and
mir Nhorr hnd IL nnir