The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1928-07-20

a colored cap that looks like a Turk
ish fez, which widens toward the top.
In the house and at work women
wear long calico shirts, wide, colored
pants like the men, and head-cloths
above gOld-embroidered caps. Their
street dress consists of long, wide
pants and blue or black overdresS,
the costume being completed by a
loose garment that covers the head
and upper part of the body, just al
lowing the eyes to look through lat
ticed insert like strip of mosquito
bar. The feet are stuck in large red
slippers.
Meager Bill of Fare.
The bill of fare Of the Afghan Is
very simple and reflects the poverty
of the country. Bread, fruits, vege-
tables tea, sweet milk, sour milk. and
cheese are the main foods. Rice, NUT
ton, fowl, and sweets cooked in vari-
Gus ways are found on the tables of
the well-to-do. The average Afghan
has no particular fondness for wine
or spirits.
Tobacco raised in the land is of in
ferior quality; the better sorts are i'm
ported from Russia, India and Egypt.
The Amir Habibullah Khan always
had good private stock of Havana
cigars. Both young and old people
take snuff.
Tea, sweetened and unsweetened, is
the favorte drink and is consumed in.
prOdigious quantities. When you GO
to see an Afghan, you can hardly es-
cape before swallowing four or five
cupfuls of tea; it is, therefore, no
trifiing gastrOnOmic feat to pay sew
eral visits in one afternoon, the more
so If the polite host with a view of
honoring the western guests) has the
tea served in big Russian glasses.
The right hand is always used in
eating and drinking, the left hand be-
ing considered unclean.
Dogs, though numerous and useful.
are looked upon as unclean, and pious
people never touch them.
Animals that go badly lame on the
march or camels that get snOwbound
in the mountain passes are abandoned
to their fate. Afghans never kill such
animals, as we might do, to put them
out of their misery. They believe that
the lives of all living things are in the
hands of Allah, and that man sins il
he presumes to interfere with the SUI
preme will. Afghans will not even
kill fleas or other vermin they mere
away!
The trade of Afghanistan is moved
entirely by caravans and is largely
in the hands of Hindus and Tadjiks.
The chief route lies through the fa-
nous Khyber pass, the great gateway
from India, which has been fortified
by the British government.
This pass is open every week, on
Tuesdays and Fridays, except in very
hot weather, when 1t Is available to
trade only on Fridays A most rigid
scrutiny is exercised by the amir's
agents on all who come and go. AS
soon as caravans from India enter the
country, their Indian leaders are
turned back and heavily-armed Afghan
guides take their places.
Caravans Well Regulated.
Some of these Afghan caravans, or.
gained with military precision, num-
Der thousands of camels and proper
tionate number of guides and camel
drivers. In the morning the Khyber
pass is open for caravans coming into
Afghanistan, and in the afternoon for
those routed in the opposite direction.
The pass is absolutely closed between
shutdown and sun-up.
Along all the caravan trails In the
country are good, solid caravansaries,
built of stone and clay, situated about
a days march from each other.
The most important caravan roads
leading out of Afghanistan, are: In
the west, from Herat to Meshed; in
the north, from Maimene and Aktcha
to Kerki; in the east, from Kabul to
Peshawar, and in the south from Kan
dahar to Quota.
har, Herat, Maimene, and Mazar-i-
Sharif are connected by fairly good
caravan roads, which, over various
long stretches, can be used by motor
cars. The amir has good motor roads,
built in and around Kabul to link up
his palaces.
Owing to the aggressive pursuit and
harsh punishment meted out by the
amir's troops, the once famous rob-
bers of the Afghan hills have almost
disappeared. so that caravans, even
in the desert districts can now travel
In safety; but in some provinces near
the borders constant quarrels and
raids are going on among hostile
tribes