Evening journal., 1899-08-10
e,:ea,ex,e.sass
THE GORGE OF SHAME
A Story OF Indian Retaliation


L seems proper 10 preface The DrIcf
chapter of life IN India with a word
OF caution, for the tale is grewsome.
II is a story from life, reminisccnce
of the early colonial days, and forms
one of series OF tales illustrating the
march Of British power in the East
Indian empire. The Waziris are a tribe
inhabiting Afghanistan, which was
transferred to the British in 1894.
In their manner OF dealing with the
woman question the Waziris are old
fashioned. With them, above all peo-
pies, chastity is the virtue Of woman,
courage of the.man. There is no place
among them for the wanton or the
coward; and the expression OF public
opinion seems 20 be founded on some
such maxim as "The dead sin no
more"
Ludlow, the doctor, Gordon, my sub
ahern, and myself were sitting outside
the little fort smoking after one of the
scrubby dinners of the country, and
DalSshan Khan, who had been invited
to share our cheroots, was smoking
with us. Ludlow had spent 13-hour
day tramping after elusive Markhor, in
in the course Of which he had climbed
to 1000 feet above the sea level, and.
tough as he was, was very tired. he
showed no wish to tell US Of his sport.
which had b0en confined to feeting
glimpses Of distant Markhor; but,
somewhat YEARLY, he told us that he
had come across the bones Of a woman
in the soft sand under the lee Of
howlder at the mouth Of a very ugly
gorge; bones curiously shattered
skull, arms, legs, ribs, not bone whole.
And the sepoys who were acting as his
shikarris had spat on the bones and
covered them again, and would tell him
nothing, only that the gorge was called
"The Gorge Of Shame"
l looked at the Bakshan Khan. He
blew a slow cloud Of smoke from his
mouth and said: 'Years ago" We
pulled ourselves together to listen, for
we always listened TO Balishan Khan,
and he told us the story Of Grierson.
Years ago, when the post was first
held by the English, there was a sahib
in command named Grierson. Perhaps
it was IS, perhaps 20, years ago. what
is time 10 us who only know day and
night, summer and winter9- He was
a brave man, but reckless. He loved
women too well. He also draEk and
smoked very much, but was never a
bit weaker for it. In those days the
caravans passing down had TO fight for
il all the way along the Waziri border
and It was out in the broad bed of tn,
Kuch, where the rivers meet, that they
lay safest under the rifles of the little
post. as II then was-only one-third as
big as it is now, and not half as many
mcn in it. Often the party at the pos
used to sally out to FIRE on raiders, anc
more often wounded traders used L
drop in at the post TO be healed OF gun
shot, sword and spear wounds. The
days were by no means duh. To mar
Of Grierson's nature life Of hard liv
ing, fighting, drinking and no woman
to cheer him was but fuel to fire.
Grierson was not a sentimentalist
Many men who mean and do no wrong
to women are not sentimentalists, and
they do not usually make the worst
husbands. One day there had been 3
dash on a caravan at early dawn anc
a pursuit. Grierson had succeeded il
overtaldng and shooting a Mahsut
Waziri, who bore away girl on his
camel. and she lay fainting from III
fall, for It dropped dead, shot at The
same time as its master. Grierson wen
to her aid and found her beautiful.
lie brought her back TO the caravan
/ made terms and was married TO hei
+ by the Mohammedan law. and for the
} handsome price of q thousand rupees
in money and kind. 1t was difficult
E matter to arrange, but in those days
D even more than now, might was right
and who could say nay TO a man whS
{ could slay as well as protect? If il ha'
pleased Grierson to have her abducted
+ ior him the price would have been less.
] and, suspicious as all sayages are, th'
D caravan of Zillnh Khel Waziiis saw tha
[ they stood q good chance of q greater
E security if one of their women was th'
+ wife of one of their protectors. BE
r sides. the girl was of no consequence
= She was an orphan. and the Malik ha'
5. the legal right TO dispose Of her. lie
| lNlAllolln NNAN ANff anu f1NAt A~t
q | guns, 20 rounds of ammunition, gun
I and a substantial sum in cash, to 50.
T. nothing OF the influence and security
: was good price for a "tochcrless las
o sic" So Grierson got his way and hi
{ wife. Now she was his wife in Englisl
4 law, though he did not know it; but
o to do him justice, he meant honcstl.
0 by her. and treated her kindly and well
= At last there came n day when the ole
Z. game Of trailing the tail OF my coat
J. was played by the government Of India
Y Officially this is known as testing tn
e temper of the tribes;" and il is don
t by sending parties more or less armei
S. to visit" various tribes in a friendl.
3; way. The tribes" have the same oh
I. iections TO being called upon in
IS friendly way-with q gun in your han
r that Englishmen have. They also sc
}. alarmed. then they begin TO shoot on
J. of funk. whereupon they are said q
d be uncertain" an expedition goe
[, forth. and little more red paint
&c added to the map of our Indian empire
! Il t,-,e Jt,rfn,r ono ~ fbo1a .ar,ie olec hn