The Lexington intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1901-1949, 1903-06-06
IN PICTURESQUE D
The Wonderful Sights to Be Seen
Along the AHpur Road.

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the big main artery, where every hour
Of the day OK carts and strings of cam
els jostle ekkas filed to ~overhowing
with fat and complacent natives,
who seem gifted with some special
faculty for balancing themselves on
few inches of splashboard; tongas,
too, with the wretched ponies which
decline to move at any other pace
than the gallop, and endless streams
Of transport and supply carts with
mules that lean in upon each other at
such an angle that you never cease
wondering how they manage to keep
their footing at all in the greasy
state of the road when the bhistimen
have just watered it, says L. Raven.
Hill, in the Pail Mall Magazine. A
most wonderful sight, that Alipur
road-eyery race in India passing
along, and always in a hurry. As we
drew near the Frontier and Punjaub
camps, one remarked the difference
in the types seen on the road-tall,
hooknosed, ferce-looking men from
Cabul and P%eshawar, with high comic
al caps, with black waiStcoats or vel
low fur lined jackets over long shirts
and baggy trousers loutish %oyercoat-
ed tribes from Gilgit, looking more
like Caucasians than inhabitants from
India, in their wooden caps and heel
less boots, seeming to terrify the
sightseeing Babus, who wandered
meekly, hand in hand, quite as inter
ested as the English globe trotter.
After breakfast with the political
agent the fanatical Akali Sikhs were
shown us, with their strange blue
headdresses, nearly three feet high,
ornamented with crescent shaped
knives, bearing axes, bows and ar
rows, spears, daggers and swords;
with their chain armor, breastplates
and shields, they suggested a travel
ing museum rather than warriors.
Here, also, were the devil dancers
from the Tibotan border, wearing gro
tesque masks, whose clumsy dancing
suggested the rawlings of some viragc
in an East end slum rather than any
thing diaboIic.
Every camp has something pc
culiar in itself-Kolah its naias. al.
most nude swordsmen, whose bodie.
are colored yellow; Rewar its resplen-
dent horsemen whose steeds are Gov
cred with silver ornaments and hung
with silk ~draperies, and from whose
saddles hang heavy yaks' tails. One
Of the most pleasing camps of all
more so from the charm of its people
than from the decoration ofthe tents
was that Of the Shan States of Upper
Burmah. They were delightful little
people; even an official photographer
who was placing them in the most
formal Of groups, and who tortured
them for over an hour in the regular
professional photographers way
failed to damp their c~heerfulness, al.
though they fastened to divest them.
selves Of their stiff state garments tn,
moment the operation was over.
In the afternoon, in addition to the
usual polo, this day saw the final Of
the international Cup. There were
} to be some exhibition games by the
J Manipur teams, the originators of the
polo game; also the Gilgit polo play.
ers were going to show us their vari-
ETY. Of the sport. From the spectac.
ular point of view the interest in the
manipur players was chiefly in the
curious appearance of their tiny
ponies, almost buried under huge
saddles with curved flaps to guarc
their feet, and wooden balls attached
to every part of their brides; on the
other hand, the Gilgit teams played
a game that had to be seen to be be.
lieyed. Starting from the end of {
narrow course boarded in at the sides
some 20 galloped headlong down The
field, the leading nan holding thu
ball and throwing it up into the all
when half way between the goals
From that moment the whole felc
became a pandemonium of gallopine
ponies and excited men, who worked
with arms and legs, and who seemed
capable Of anything except falling
off. How any of them escaped de.
struetion was a marvel, but theil
usual custom is to play the game W
and down their own streets, so ponie,
and men are used to charging at full