Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1925-04-12
First Foreigners to Witness Spectacular Journey


pressed on over the mountains. AT
last we climbed another high range.
| This was crowned by sheer, hfteen-
hundred foot cliff, over the top of
| which the horses were dragged by
| ropes. From its summit we saw Tar
away, blocking our trail and stretch
| ing north and south to the ends of
| the horizon, the snow-clad sides OF
the giant enemy of the tribes, Zardeh
Kuh. The Yellow Mountain
A week later the tribes camped
some 10 miles away from it, in a
glorious high, wooded county. They
made no immediate effort to cross 1t.
Our people were "stalling'' for posi-
ton with the Bawadi tribes, whose
rifiemen were expected to attack us
because we were protecting, through
some tribal custom, the Beidarwand
tribe. The Beidarwand raided the
Bawadi during the migration last
year, killed a number OF their men
and swept them clean, carrying off
horses, herds, tents, rugs everything.
This year the Bawadi were going to
try to retaliate.
Nobody seemed to mind this halt
very much, since there was fairly
good grazing here, except the Raki
the thief tribe"-to whom this
land belonged. Our animals were
and they were raving angry.
First they tried to make good their
loss by collecting a toll. Our tribes
had to cross a rough footbridge of
stones and logs over a mountain
stream. I rode up somewhat ahead
of the Beidarwand column and
climbed a slope overlooking the
stream On the farther side of the
bridge were grouped some 30 of the
Raki men, armed with rifles and
swords and long. heavy sticks.
Slowly a long line of Betdarwand
families and cattle came down to-
ward the stream and, without hating
for a second TO consider the hostile
group. began to go over the bridge.
No sooner was the first family across
than two of the thief tribe" men
grabbed a donkey and were about 10
make off with it
I've never seen q "free-for-all'
start faster. Across that bridge the
Beidarwand men came running, wav-
ing their long, heavy sticks. The
fight was on! Not shot was fired
both sides knew that killing here
meant a blood-feud to the death
but every man grasped his staff with
both hands and, swinging 1t with
full force, cracked the nearest enemy
in sight.
x <
CHOUTS! Howls! Screams! A man
~ directly below me bowled over
and lay still. At that tall, full
bosomed young woman in red head
kerchief. leaped to his side, grasped
his stick and, despite the fact that
she had a cradle with a baby In 1t
strapped on her shoulders, tore into
the melee. shrieking with rage and
IL
A man behind her swung up his
club and brought it down full across
the side of her head. She was
knocked clean off her feet and rolled
over twice. the cradle (with the baby
in it) spinning under her. She went
over and around and around, like a
foot ball player on a ball, and then
rolled to her feet, still running. and
leaped back into the fray. More
women Joined in. And over the
bridge came running more and more
of the Beidarwand. The Raki broke
and fed. There was no toll paid that
morning!
was at a conference the next day
when the Raki chiefs in a solemn
group came to hold council with our
khans. First we feasted; then the
kalian went from mouth to mouth.
Finally the gray-bearded Raki leader,
despite the defeat of his young men
on the previous day, made an Grafton
to the effect that the Bahia Ahmedi
and BeIdarwand tribes must go on or
nav for the stay. At this, All Agha
and Haidar and all the stalwart Bahia
Ahmedi chiefs rocked with derisive
laughter.
you say we must move on or pay?"
asked Ali Agha.
Yes
Ali Agha sneered: go tell your
people we have another choice-this"
and he tapped his rifle.
Yes, might is most certainly right
among the tribes.
Upon learning that the Bawadi were
already moving over the mountains,
at a place 40 miles north Of here,
our tribes knew that they had
chance to go on without the risk of
being shot from ambush. But we
were now face to face with a crueler
and stronger enemy than hostile
human beings. Directly above our
camp lowered grim and gigantic
Zardeh Kuh-black rock and snow
and more snow, rising straight up
until the peaks were lost in the
clouds Five thousand cotton-clad
people and half hundred thousand
animals were going to cross that
snow mountain.
Haidar and a chosen body of volun-
teers had made the crossing possible.
For three days they had climbed up
Zardeh Kuh. On the first day Shorty
and / went with them. For a mile
they followed the course of noun
tain torrent; then they came to the
place where this torrent poured out
from the glacial snow of a deep
gorge Here they halted, put down
the poles and picks and shovels they
were carrying and all sat down.
Then each man began calmly to
take off his shoes. 1t was q moment
before the significance of that act
struck me. Their cotton slippers
would, of course, be ruined after an
hour in the snow. / remembered that
the tribespeople had always taken
their shoes off when fording streams
or walking on muddy ground after
a rain: for the soles were made of
patched rags and were rendered ut
terly useless by a wetting. And now
Haidar and his men were taking their
shoes off here and were going up
into the snow. Barefoot in the snow!
X X X X
FORWARD went Haidar and his
Il score of volunteers. Down the
gorge barefoot they went, Hafdar
leading. Every minute or so he
would stop and the men would spread
out and with pick and shovel test
the snow for holes; for the trail must
be made around them. I peered into
one of these crevices. 1 stared down
m IFS black depths. Far below