1899 khyber--a sketch of the pass by morphy s

8/10/2019 1899 khyber--a sketch of the pass by morphy s

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collated; and, so far s figure dirtances, etic. are concerned,their accuracy may be relied upon. The brochure aspires

to be no more t h a n it is-a hand-book, not a history-and, though i t carries no embelliuhments it1 th e shapeof warlike tales, it is hoped that i t may prove useful to somewhose duties or curiosity may lead ttiern north-west ofPeshawar, and that it may be of interest to some others

whose happier interests in life w l l never carry them across

the rugged frontiers of our Eastern Empire.

SIMLA ctober 1899


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CONTENTS

~ , - - T ~ I o < I I Y L J P ~ Jabs - 'LIIC, ~ i < t ~ ~ . . i i ' ~ l i : ~ ~ i~ i ~ I i \ ~ i ~ y -and l;llysiral f 'c:ktm.~b-'rl~r y i ~ ; 1 1 ~ i ~ : . l r ~ \ a . - - I ~ ~ ~ d < ~ l i i h tr o m a i ~ ~ sFIrarliko 11ist1)l.y--llrit i qlr I'orts in tlli. I iiiis-- 'l ' l lo ovaci~ntio~l f lh )7 . , .

11 --T110 a s s 1 y I I > X ~ I - ~ I P S - - I ; I I I I I ~ I I ~ ~AIi 3111~) i11-- I t s o r t i -f i r a t i o n s - (: : Lv (~ s ll111 I I l l / I I I ' S fly I ~ I I oilitaillo l i l l ~ l ~ l il , t : , l - l t s t l l l t i l l t I i 1 1 . 1)l.s-c r i l , i , i ~ ~rf t l ~ t > i l i l l i i g ( ~ h i)(.t'


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v. - T l ~ e t r i b e s of t l ~ o < l~yher-Good bolmvio ln . of t h o

hinwaris -Lawleuit Irubics of t h o : ~ k k : ~ l~c l s -Sonlo incidents of tllcil' I I ~ S T ~ P Y I IR M n l i l ~ t l i ~ ~ s -Thvi r byrgone grci\tucr;s,--l'Iio lirikliis, I( an ~r ;t is ,

. . . . . . .i n o ~ b a r i i ~r111 i1,:~lrs 4 4.

VI.-Sui~sitiics 71;iill t o t h e t ri li es -Z u nc s of t l ~ c n ss f o rwhic11 tile \.nrious K hcl s nre ~~esl~ol~siblo--Historyr e l ~ c n t i l t g t se lf . . 8

V I I , - ' l ' l lc Kl~ybrr tiflctl, tlicir ~ s t a l ~ l i d l ~ t ~ ~ c i ~ tticl p,e~.sonliel-His tu ry < I Ll~cir orfi;mis;rtioli --'l'htbil' s e ~ v i c c u t1 tho

Ij ln ck X u ; l l ~ t t ~ i n r l ~ t ~ l i t i o a r -C o s t o f Chj.ir rnnir~tc-rrnticc-Cost. of t l i r tcrtkrl n i.keol) uf t llo K h y b e r : . . 8

V I I ~ . - T ~ ~ ~raao o f t l ~ e ~ < l ~ ) , b ~ l . - - ~ t s,intol.~-T1re oldTn rt nr a ro ut e --I ts ~lec. li~rc' H I ~ ( I. U I I S C I I I I J I L ~ruin uft h e 1fn llagol . i s- l )ny~ uri \ ~ l ~ i c l i h e T1:rsn is openI n c o ~ n c f tlrc pals fro111 t ; r s c s - S l i t Atoir's t r l d eiironopuliea . . . . . . . . . >


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?HE KHYBER PASS

CII PTEH I

Tho Kllybor Pass-The Indo-A fghan highw ay-Le ng th u r~ d hysi cal fenturea-Tho ri rn l highway-Bncl.

dh i s t r e~u:~ ina - -War l ike h i sto ry-Br it i sh fo r t s in t h e

I RSB-Tho ev cu tion of 1897.

ConsTdering t h e a t r z i c im porta nce of t h e5 Khyher Pass , and t h e par t it has played in t h e

frontier history of India, coinparatively fewparticu lars concerning even its pliysical feature s

-mucll less th e details of its administration,etc.-are understood ei ther by the people ofIndia, tvliereof it is th e North-Western Gate,or t h e general Br iti sh publi c wllicl-1 has long

regarded it as a graveyard for its soldiers.Ttle recent ly sanctioned reorgitnisation of t h eIChyher Rifles, however, has aartkeneil some

interest in tllc Pass bu t th e subject is one o

mor e th an tran sien t conseqnence, ant1 therefore. .

The Kh ybo r I ti f lea woro rcorgnuisecl i n Ju no 1899.F o r a n a c c o u n t of this s i n g u l a r body of f i g h t i n g m e nLce C h e p t e r V


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TIIB RIIYBER PASS [ CHAP

.some facts and figures regarOing its location an dhistory, its socialant1 pl ~y sic al eatures, may befound worth perusing.

To descr ibe i t b i iefly, t l ~ eihyber is a wellof tllu

graded lligllwsy 1e:tdingf roin India to Afgllnn- P i l b 3 J 3 2 milcni st an tllroug li t l ~ eugged l~ i l l sl ~ n tise up he-tweeil t h e Hriti>h fron tier, 13ryo11d t h e City ofPeshnwar in the 13u~?jah,11t1tlie i lfghan townof 1)nkka. T h e cJi.t:lnc.~ h ~ tw ce rlthese tnopoints is al~proxilnately 4 3 ~ n i l e s ; h u t t l ic1 1 rniles fiorrl I'eslr~anitr o Jarnrucl I'ort arothrough a leveI plaili nd the Ichyber proper-the I'as9 t h ro u g h t h ef stnesses of the Afridian d Sliinwari countries-is only abo ut 32

m iles long. T h e t r ~ i ~ t lf tllc Pnss is innorth-westerly direction. I ti s wide enough

rto ad m it of cart traffic, an d its high est poin ta t LunlJi I


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CIlAP. T H E I


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T H KBYBER PASS. CHAP.

parallel to th e Kh ybcr and no rth by east,nndTho openirig

east of it . I t was not until th e close of th e oi the K h y b e r .second Afghan war of 18 78-79, when the Pass

Tlu( le r A r i r o ~ iwas placed un der Brit ish control, th a t i t na s to the Taropened as a high way for th e traffic betpreen t l R O I ~ ~ C .the domain of the Ainir and our IntlianEmpire .

I t s history as a utilitarian factorin thc com-merce of nations, c.oinrnences a t t h a t (late.I'rior th er et o i t Lad an in te rn al liiqtory of it sown-n history th a t teem s with i1lirnit:d~lc Avariety. Thousands of y e u s ago, wlleil Bud-dhism was young, the 1 ) rop apto rsof that sectbore down through its f:t~tnc~sacsant1 had

battles there that were forgotten hefore t h oChrist ian era l lad begun. Uudtlhist r e w i n sof the most remote ant iqu i ty are plent iful int h e vicinity of Lu nd i Kotal. A great s t r e t chof massive wall-t11e estige of some n:~ ti o r~ n lbound ary line, no douht-crests a r idge near the

Buddlnrt re.water reservoirs of t h Fo rt. Lower down th e ins theK o h d .

Pass, towards Ali ;\lusjid, is a massive tope,or dome-shaped mass of masonry, on th eapexof a ridge th at ju ts out into a valley l ike apeninsula. Afghan and Ind ian have fought in


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C H A P r T I T E RTIYIIISR PASS. 5

the grim defiles of the Paqs the Al:iliorned:~n

conquerors swept it th roug l~ . The h i l l trihexwere always embroiled in internecine f eutlx~~~~~~h~ of of tlleir own, as was natural among clans of

theyo tmconi l ~ ~ m n ~ b l c R I . rubbers. l)cspite the ir own differences, how-atidera

evcr, thcy lonq rcsi\ted th e power of the Rlos-]em conquerors, and t l ~ e fritlis were th e last

Rep11180acllr Shah

race in t11nt section of Asia to abanclon theiritloIs and tlrrir fire worship for the Koran.They arv now all JTahornedans. Alexanderthe Great left the tribesmen alone when he con-quered India, and erlterccl the plains allereinPeshau.ar now stands by a circuitour march

1

t o the east of the Pass Kttdir Shah was

dr iven hncli honl t point 11ort11-mest of 1,undiKotal arid was forced to find a way nroancl Ijytl ic H;tznr Valley. Tlle Sikh rulers of IJes1li~w:trin the eitrly (lays of the century paici black

rn;lilr>d tributr to the Afritlis to keep t l ~ e oadolw11, j u d as we do to this very day. TlleEi~ gli sh fought ant1 won the battle of AliMusjid in the Khyber irl 1878 They evacuat-ed the IJass when t he Afridis seized Lundi Kotal

he masRRcrc and Ali Rlusjid in August 1897 and re-entered7;~;fshtruupa it, unopposed, four rnonths Inter. The massacre


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6 TH K I I Y B E H PASS. [ C I I A P

of our troops during the first Afghan war did

not occur in the Icliyber, as some hulq)ose

but a hundred and thirty niiles beyond i t ill

the rugged defile known as the 1,tttaband l ass

between Bnrakhob :tnd Sarnuclin Mullah Mir,

about thirty miles this side of Icabul.

Wh en th e Afghans held the Pass, their

nearest strongholtl to India was Fort Ahdur-

rahman, about a couljle of iniles below Ali Mus-

jid. Its dism ntled ruins are still stancling

but we have never considered it necessary toestal~lith t garrison tl~crc. iz counection with

o w tenure of tllc roatl, our forts are :

1. I ort Jnmrutl, in tlie Pehhau:~r Plain , FortJamrwi

which cornmands th e month of the I


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THE RIIYBEK PASS. CHAP. I

CHAPTER 11

1 210 nes by marches-Ju~nrud-Ali Musjid-Its

f o r t i f i c n t i o ~ ~ s - C a w d nngrcru by t he roadsidc--LnndiKotal-Destruction of tti Afr id i ~tro ngho lds Descrip-

ion of th e ir villages-Dofcnccs of Llindi Kotitl-TileShinwaris Lundi Kha~ia-The Afghan Frontier-Tri.

butary Pnsses.

Before proceeding further with a descril~tion u,,t,,,r uf thePnasof place s whose re lati \ e positions may not beeasily understood it would be well tocall at-tention to th e accompanying outl ine m ap of th ePass an d its environm ents wh ich will conveya far bette r idea of t h e courbe and contourof th e cclebraterl l l igl~w ay th an any wordscould be expected t o do. -r

F ro m Pesh:twar in the south-east corner of e f l o r nthe plan i t will he seen tha t th e I


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1 'I'lIE KiiYIiEJt I'.i,W [ CHAI'. 1 1

13ryol1(1 Tor K l l a o ~lle ro:ttl is i l l c11:lrge of t h e Tlie Affih~11wr.tll.1~ t ndlg

L4fg l~ : \ l i~ ,L ~ I I ~s i l l v c ~ y )oor c ~ ~ ~ t l i t i o ~ ~ , nrl111ta111u4.

J ~ i s i ; below Ali 111l3jitl > l ~ cPass, i v l i i c ~ l ~ 1:~sb e t . 11 c ~ r o s ~ j i i l g l tc c . o i ~ ~ l , n l . ; ~ t i \1 ~ ul)en c o u n t r y

*

The f u l l o l ~ i l ~ gletails r c g ~ r d i ~ ~ ghe 1)11yeic:tl ertturpoof t he I


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Ille r ~ . t along a river-bed, nnrrows to n 111cre n e c kAir 4uu]Id

O n t h e left the ri\rr--u. strearu in ordinary

A t S l i Mlrnji~l. 1.300 p r d s f l~rtht .~. , h c ~ \ i d t h s 40f f c . t , t l re l i i l ln I lc ing pt~r l~c~~tdioulnrl l d i ~ ~ ~ p r a c t i c n l r l e ,I?et~ri?c~ri ~i1 :mi n ~ r d lr is ' poin t , l lorircroft , anyn, t h enrolrntni ~la or1 eitl lor lrnuil nr o ab ou t 1 300 cot 2rigI1,s1ati.y a111t t o al l nl ~p ca rn nc c nnc.tvc.ssilllc ; 1,450 y a r d sf l~r t l i (>r lro n i i l tl l i s 270 f r e t r i l l ~ I I th o lof t pr ic i ll i -tous, o n t h o r ig li t c , ( ~ ~ r ~ p a r a t i v c l yasy 1 111i1o ,OW yard8f u r t h e r tlro rititlr in 390 f ~ c r , he l~ i l ln 1~ i r lg c1.y R I C P ~ ;t i mi11.a I~cyo~rtl hiu lie8 ttrn I ,a la hr g vnIlc>y, whi chnvnrnpes

I tmilo Lroacl; 880 y nr il r f r i r t l ~ r r lrr widtlr is

1 f i ~ t r l cw, th e Irills 11ci11k ~r i t t l ~ e r p e ~ r ~ l i c c ~ l a r ;n1 000 ynrdfl f l i ~ ~ t l ~ c rh c ronil go es n:er rltc I,n ll (l i KlinrruP:MB tlio wi11tl1 I~eirlg 140 f e e ( , iir~cl 11e 11ills 1)eiirg v er ystrt p, csl)ncin: y on t111 I t ~ f t 3 4 nriics T ~ ~ r i l r c rire widthi.q ROO f r e t , tlio llillri 111.ir1g L I P I I 1111 t l ~ ,c ft , h ~ i t ot S I Ip r ~ % r . i l u t u ~ ~ s11 l l l e r ix l~f 2 i 111i1c.s ' t~ r. l li r ~ ~,h o w i d t h is: (HI I'ct,t, tLr. lri lls l csin,o v(>ry hti,r li (311 110th sides; 3n~ i < -a l l r t l t r ~ . s 1)11:1.,:1, \\- her o L l r ~ riilc. op en s. 'l'lri>1111nl c~r~k.tlr f tlic t lc li lc , t l ~u rc lu rc , ro111 Jn n ~ r u i l o1 ) h n k n i~ ;~hcrut, .7 r ~ r i l ~ s .

'l 'lrc elcr;~tiorl rr f( r.t of vn ri ov s po in ts of tile ]>am inJn m r u ~ l l f j i0 ; Ali h lunj i(1 2 1 33 ; I,;~r rdi Kllana. 2488 ;I,nrrili I


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12 TH KHYRER PARS CHAP. I

seasons b u t a tor ren t d ur in g th e rains-ripplesover i ts pebb ly bed tolvardg Ja m ru d. On i tst i g h t bank th e ba re brown hills rise ul like

The ~ f f twalls im passable even t o t h ~ iild goats. uu6 dOn t h e r i g h t of the Pass s tands an almostsheer precipice whencc houlders m ig hteasilybe shot dowli to cr l~ sl i n inbading host . Re-yond th i s neck t h e Pass widens ont for about

half a m ile when i t ;lg zin closes l l unt i l i tresenibles a veritable chasrn som etlling likethe Grand Canon of the Colorado. On c.it11er ~ l ~ s , , l ~ ' e P a L ' eside t he rocky walls rise 11p al lnost per l~rnt l icular. Below th e river flips along rnerrilyl i ke brown streak over n narrow nlargiti

of grey pebbles. Ttle sun the re nev er glrnlnv Hol,lo ,,f t l , ton th e roatlway unt il i t i s in i t s z e r i i h andnt ' '

in th e winter t ime when th e s torms comefrom th e no rth tlie blasts hoot and roar anclrumb le th rou gh th i s narrow gap like 13robclig-ag ian t rumpe t s and t hun t l e r ; and the howlof each blast can be heard up t l ie Pars longbefore t h e hlast i tself reach es A li R lusjid.

Com mand ing th e open space above andnlld s a ~ r e i l n1111

below t h e Afgh ans long ago Fuil t a gre at fort t M n e ) ~ don t h e pinnacle of th loftiest peak on t h e


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CIIAI>. 1 TJIE RJIYBER PA M 3

r idg e t h a t r i ~ c seyond t h e r i \ c r 1):lnlc on t lleft side of th e road. T hi s nits rv-conitrnc~fedtiy t l ~ e ritisll when th e y in ie it e d tht. 1)litceafter tllc battle of Ali llusjitl in 1875 Tiley

A l l ll11>]1d also cor~ utruc ted dditio nal bloc.l


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h111rlnn lifr ---notlling but Ixowii 111011uttiill~

an d 1)rown sl~ation-s, with otlti I )unc i~e s of

scrltb sprouting out here and tilere arnong th c

rocks. he river-bet1 is gradually lost, allti

there are no s1)rings. Occasionally ollt? rnnyT11c r v y q o

detect s carp or two whorein shcpl~ercls or t ,,l;:;;i:;f~narautlers i nd shelter-more con~monly t h elatter in olden days, b u t t he I~oltl orayer of

t h e I ' H S ~ llas l)cen badly crowded out of

t he I .

breastworks of looic~ly 11iletl u p sto~i cs, whence p 1 t ~ o d 1, U ~ L I ~rifleman can snipe :tt t l ~ r uusny)c~cting

enemy, are gcwerally to 1 c ~ t wl l tllc iciuity

of th ew cares, as, intlred, tl lr p J I I ; L ~ he 01 -~ e r v e d n all like ly places co~rlmtqntling any

strstegically advnntagc~ous twtion of tlie Paw.

About sercn rnilps above ~ l l i l~ls.jitl tllc

Pass opens oi l t into an irreg11l:tr itarics of


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l ) l i ~ i t ~ s r v:illeys, co~nl)letclly I ien~ii~et l 11 by

tl~ c. nollntiiins, \r.l~icli also ju t out i n t o t he

11.v(.ls l i k e pt~ninsulas. 0 1 1 the (*lid of one

1 f tl1c.sc1 ridges a?)~lttii~g 11 tlie road is built

tilts Ilr~cltlliist ope nl~ove ef(arrrc1 to. i i r i t l t , l~isi n i ~ s ~ ised is ;t 1,icket station I ? t,rool)s a.11e11t l ~ e ':iss has t o l)e picketed for tile safe con-

I R Z U ~ f ~ i d i dl lv t of COlI\.OyS. Tile 1)1:lin is tile it\,orle c ft ~ l l . ~ i e ~ iear

I . ~ i l r i o l ~ s illels or clans of tlle Afritii tri hr s, ant1

crol)qro\Fr L ~ J reely :triiong t h e pel)l)ly rocks

with w l ~ i c l ~t s tit~ltls re c-overc~d. A 11mn1)er

of q~la ( i r a l~gn l :~ r i~~tl-\vi~Il(?cl i l l : i g~?~-e~ t~ :11

mitli n look-out tower of t h e t y l ~ 11;lde :~rriiliari n the ill~~st.riitions f the ?'il.nli carr~l)nign

- 1 ~ ~ ~ s l ) ~ c l t l aile 1)I~~il is t close illtervals. AtIr.:rst t11c.y usc.tl t,o do so nut1 prol)itbly willclustr~. lie rr iigilil~ tt SOIII : futur(: (litt ,~, houg-11

the - \\-ere l~r acti call y ll rnzctl to the ear th by

Generat1 Harn~llond' s ,rig;ttle I V ~ I C ~ I J ic invested

Luncli l


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16 r t ~ ~ : H Y D E K P S S [ C H A P.

ri~c1c.s rlicl. to join tl~cbir ~.cvolting kins1nc.nwhrli t l ~ t g e n ~ r i ~ liiing occ,nrrect in Allgilst1807. All t l ~ e tllcr villages were destroyc.d.ntterly; and sabe wllere the spring cropsgrow seemingly ungt~arcled :tnd unwatcl~edhv tlie rondsidc, tl~c dace is now desolatetvilder~iess.

I l ~ e orintry ctrlitinues open at intervals most

of the rest of t h e way 111) to T,undi Iiotnl, wllerethere is qr~ i te s11acjous pli~in, kuuwn as the1,oargi I lain, ill t l ~ e entre of ~llich-~,\ tandsthe 1,tlndi Ihtnl Folt.

r1 his structure is not n fortress in the gen- ,,,,,,,,,,~,,, ofera1 sense of the term, anc-l could he wiped out

of cxiztr~lce n an liour by the ligl~test art i l -lery. I t is a quadrangular enclosl~re nit11srnnll havtiorlv at each corner whence the wallsc n be c>nfiladed. It affords the necessary 1,ro-tectio~l rom rifle fire or froill risk of beingtaken by assartlt, its loop-l-ioled walls beingfrom 12 to 14 feet in height on the averageand in places more. S o perrrlauent artilleryis kept t l~ er e, nd, indeed, such urould he un-

N o t rcallv nnecessary on account of th e i~npo ss ib i l it ~ f delenalblo fort

defending th e situatlo l~ rom attack by artil-


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lery. Tlie fort i ~ isnurolu1tit.11 l y liilla fronlE n v i r o n m e n t s which it couI(i be sn.(>l)t hy rifle fir(, were t't~oso

of Ll ~ nd l K o t a l .hills lcrt ~lrrl)ic~kc~ttc~cl, 11t1 t is tmly ~1jli:d a

fort I)y c6nrtrsy.Bchintl it stretch ncrc.9 nut1 acre3 of wr.11 tilled

ficltlu, omit1 ~rllicli rise nnnlerous ~illngesThe f r iend ly

s l ~ i n w ~ ~ i s . belongi~rg o tlre frit~l~tlly l i i ~ ~ \ r a r i rilws who

hell)t>c us to 1)icket t t ~ erlrironirlg Iloiglits

during tlle 1i~tc.r ilontlis l tlio 'i'i,.nli cr n~ rl ): li g~ ~.In front is t110 1iara:lo gi~ountl :111tl 11t.jo11tl t

the ccrnet~rics-~l;ltirr .ultl I~:~~~.opc~nn-n-Iicr~:nlnliy 11undrt:tl sol(1it.r~ i t I)~uic~;l. cn i t l~esn

l t t t ter arc. the n:itc3r tn i ~ks liat gntlrc~r tht?

water i n t l ~ , .ninp S~n>.(Jll. lntl, nea1. tl~ese, sP r o t e c t i o n

f r o n Brcdvla the Sf) . (~i , r \vnllctl cl~closurt.. wllr)rc;i~i l ~ eshraK J i c ~ / 7 1 ~ r ~1.c sn.fc.lg g11n1.11id t nigllt lxbndir~g

their journcbys to or from Intli:~. Ovcrlooliingtliin lllttcr, on low hill, is n circul l~r I~lock-house wlit.rt- t l ~ e r~arti ian picket is stationedto protect the convoy from t h e nl~pronc~li frobbers or bt tb t t~ lshrs Inside the Pour nr~11s rehouses ancl s h e d s nnil o; tn sl aces for tents

Mait m7atar also a sm:lll water tank but tl~cl n~nin wtlter-nllpl~ly of tileFur t . supply of 1,lintli Kotal i n olltained fro111 ~ ~ o i l ~

nearly two miles beyond-on t h e down ,grade


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toward3 Afgh ani~tnn-w hew a goo 1 spring,from which th e water is carried in pipeq, h u pplies th rec reserLolrs th a t nestle in a gorge-l ike \a lley. On t lic o t l ~ c rqitle of t h e block-house hill is a srrlnll race colirrc.

A l a t e r i n l i r n l ~ r o ~ e m c n t ~ay 1,e ex l~ cc tc d in ,,,l,,, eL~the natrr-snl)pIy of tllr. fol tiiicd Serrri or Soltitself, :~lr~lo5 t\ soon a~ t l i i ~ecoux~t s l ~ ~ i l ~ l i k l l

ed. SVithin the walls tliero is an e s c r l l e ~ ~ twell which has 1 1 ~ ~ 1 1 n ~ u i ~ dince Auguit1897 when t h e rehcl Afritlis pollyfetl it1ythrowing into i t t h e hodiec:of the sermntc; ofCaptam Harton, thc C o m m a n t l a n t of t l ~


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25/94

TIIE KHYBGR PAYS CHAP I I

where th e I


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CHAP, I1 ] THE: KI1TBF:R I ASS 31

u p vi i Q u et tt ~ , Kandnhnr nnd Glltlzili thi s1 1 n ~ a ~ ~ k b l ou

whbelo,l t adc last is 1 ~ r o n o ~ n c e df i j t l ~ 7 i ~ ) ~ in ~ i fy l inn i s t an ) ,being drawn l ~ yraction engines nll t h e wayIt woultl hnvc been i~npowi l j le o drng s11c11heav y weigh ts throlxgll ant1 across su ch river-b e d ~ s in terr oc t tllo road between Nirnla andKabul. Tlle l h r t r l or Tit t le) I


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lIow to ruooh th Kl~yher-Abandonment of theKhyher Hal lway Schou o Prol~ablooxtcnsion f tl ie e r i ~ t .

in g ra,ilrvay to Ja mr ud -L or d Curzon s rr o nt lo r l olicy-

Accu~nniodat ion l osl~awar-T~i~~iapol . t llenco t o LondlKotnl -l erln iss io~ i rc(jnirei1 fro111 tho Po lit ica l Officer-

Chcicc u ~ l ost of a rehiclo-Tnno ucc~l piod n xnaking

tho t r ip-Its dltngcrs during tho 11ot \rcatlior-TlioUpp er Klryber-Tllo ro ut o by lnnrclica to Kab ul ~ C C C Y -

snry outfit for t h o journey-Thc escort provided t

trarc llars by t l ~ c r~iir-Gonural roniarks-Physical autl

gnueral fcuturcs of t ho Pass

Du ring th e closing montllsof the T i rah chm-paign a schcme ~ v q mooted to carry a r :~ilway

T h e Kl1 j l1 5

r i g h t u p th e Kliyber to Lun di I


28/94

TPd y ot h r ~ r l l a l ~ h a t it? t l l e Jilr yl ~c r \voultl mo reprobably be follo\te tl. At t l r ~ ame t ime i twns stntct l in t i le t c s t o f tllv l olicy, a8 pnblis11-ed, tha t th e Xort li -W estern Railway syi temwoultl probably he extcndetl to J t ~ l n r u d t nne rly date. I n r c p r d to t l iis, i t m y br n8well t o reprotluce t h e t e s t of t h a t 1):~i-t f J,ortlC urzon s Policy co nc rr i~ in gll K h y l ~ r s i t

al)pe,zred in t he Pig zeo., ilug. 7tli , 1899 :

Tlie policy nr1ol)tetlin tlre Tilryl>er in~-olvf.,r silrlilar nbandomnent of t lie sc~ l~c~lt ieror i ~ o w

or11 Citrzon'aant1 costly fortificntioilv autl en tai ls tho ~ i i h i t i -

xi')ber u''cy tu tion of reorgariised cwrps of K hy ber I.liHcsf o r t h e r e g u l a r g ~ r r i i o l l ,on e- l~ nl f of wliicll

has alrcatly been w itl~tlrawii rom J,undi Kotal,wliile it is expected tlint tLc rcmitincler willfollow as soon ail t h c new ar ra n gr m en ts art.i nworlcing order. 'l'hesc consist of thc clstensionand irnproved fortification of tlie (.xisting for ti-fied ae~.ni t Luridi I iota l ant1 of thc other srnall-

er postsin

the Pnss, all of which willi r l

fu turebe held by the I


29/94

and good-coilduct : ~ l l ~ w n ~ ~ c c . s .t i~ un(l~rstoot1t h ~ the Goverrililent of I r~dia ile not illclinetl , n 1 ~ ; : ~ ~ ~ 1 ; ~ ~at l ~ r e ~ e n to procced nny fiir tl~er wit11 tlle + Jnmllldsclleme for a I


30/94

A pardox n not travcl th i~ .t l lass in Intlin, 1)nt one's na tiverailway foree.servnnt dew, nnd therrforr thr inforlnntiorl isfurnis1lc:tl 1l1.r~. I ? r o ~ l ~'i~lclittn,the clist:rnceis 1 452 n ~ i l e s , n d tile tilllo ot,cl~ pietl n ninlringt hc j o u r t ~ c y I)y t h e 1i1,zil t r a i ~ l i i i t 1 1 ~ ~ s tIntlin I t i~ilw[iys I SS tl1:111G O 110111.s. h e fa rohowever, n11;l sin,nul:trly c i ~ o ~ t g l r.; higllcr thant h a t f l ~ m o t ~ ~ l ~ ; t y ,1citlg I:$. 1 2 0 , first clilsq.

mentq a3 tli.ti11gr1i41c~tlionl I 'e~llix\\,nr City,for thcrc i ; n o r ~ c c o l ~ l ~ l i (( l a tt ) r ~ fo r 1 iu~o l )enn s

Tho IIotcl andi n tho City itself. 111 t l ~ e. ' t i n t o ~ 1 1 1 ~ 1 1 t ~ ,1 0 ~ -

Dhk Uullmluw eve r, one (.it11 i i l : ~ l i t ollesel f ui; o ~ fr )~ , t : i llo s

at any o th e r 1udi:tn st:ition. l'llere is t h e

r e g l ~ l n rU;ik I ic l~ l ; ; . ;~ lomhere olle c i i n fiudth e c ~ ~ s t o i n n r y ti:co~rlll~odatioili ;of S ~ I Crest-l-io~~ses --tlis~nnl .o o n ~ s , l ilu ite tl t )i ll offare, indiKerent ly c o o l ~ c ~ lociotl, nlltl-ill tllo ca.seof t l le l'eiliawirr x s i ; ~ ll l i > l ~ ~ ~ ~ e ~ i t ,rl~illions ofwasps on tho vc~~at id : t l t .It i*, Itowe\vr, farsuperior to rnmly DAlr I lli~;alous i n 1:~rgerstations, and 11ntil rec er~ t ly i ~ sl i r only p l a c e

exp lienc at which t h o stmngchr t l lin t l ~ cgatese d B O I ~ ~ ~ P C O could find food and sllelter. Sllortly after

th e Tir ah cam paign, howevcr, ail hotel was


31/94

26 TIIE K I I Y I j E R PASS ~ A P .

opened in an excel lent location on t l ~ cAlall

by Mr. De l loz:~rio, and th e average t i t tvellerwill find Inore comfort the re tha n at th e D:ikBungalow. I t ii well matlagod, clean, awlsets a good t :~b le , ~ t ile r ra so r~ah le inc l i~ s i \rate of 1:s or per day. Tlie pro l~r ie to rwas hilnsclf up t h e k l l y l ~ c ~i t h th e l eshanarColumn n 1897-98, a n t 1 ~ ~ n d e r s t a n d sh e

co un try ant1 its 11eol)le Acc~ording ly, e makesarra ng ~rr ien ts or tongas, tnm-turns. or otlierconveyances to carry one up to LuntIh Icotal ,mu ch better t h a n t l ~ c r ar ~ si cn t \ is ito r a ndbe e ~ p e c t e do arrange for hirnkelf.

H ere i t should be again explainer1 th a t th e p rrlllsvion o

Khyber is only open for I l~afiluor other O1tt e pR8E

traffic on t x o da ys of th e week-Tues-da y and Friday-in th e cold weather, an done day a week du r ing th e hot weather.Even on those day^ it may not be enteredwithout pe rmi t , which can be obtained upon

application to t l ie Poli t ical O ficer of th e K hy -her at Pe s l~awar. This perm ission is a very ,,,,,,,,formal~tynecessary formality, and , thou gh th e task of

procuring i t will entail bu t small delay a t J e-shawar, it would save inconv enience t o make


32/94

CIIAF T I I E l i r I Y l l : I < PAS^

th o neclessnry application hcforr 5t :~ iti ng forth e Fron ti e r ( ' i t y.

Th e lmmiss ion once secu~tl tl , l ~ en ly o t l ~ e rdifficaulty lies in th e choiceof n cdollvrynnceul,th e Pass .

1 1 1 ~ e ~ t o h ~ A tonga is th e moht rc~ l ial~ lcncl t h e most(16 t t l n v ~ ly

convenient in every way, t h ~ rrang enie nts ofdBks or relays of l~ or se smiitle hy the tong8contractor being very :rood, nll i i l l g i coriiitler-ed ant1 enal)l ing t h e traveller to schedule hist r ip wi th punctual i ty.

rntlga fares.Thr fare by tong from Peshawar to L un di

Kotnl and back is 11s. 20.F o r a single ?eat in t l ~ c l,ik tonvt when

available, or w ith some ot her pnbsengttr whomay bc travell ing up t l ir Pass is R.. 10 fort h ~et ur n journey. A 5 regards tak in g a singleseat t icket , however, th e re turn journey cannotbe undertaken on such a t lcL e t ant1 on tli efinme day , as t h e r eg ula r dAk tonga leavesL u nd i Kotal before t h e upward bound toliga

reaches th ere .The o the r farer by tonga are :Rs

Peshhwar t o Jamrud and back entiro tonup~ l n g l 0 eat

Peshawar to Ali Musj id a1111 back e n t ~ r p onga 13I singlo se t - 6


33/94

A tonga nccornrrlotl;ttc~ four persons. includ-ing the driver; t l ~ nt z to \ ry. t1lr.w lmsiengers.

Trim tnme ndA turn-~UIIIiccolnlnodatth t tic s a ~ n c umber the i l Jliro

less colnforti~hly, nd i. not t o h e ~c~c~olrl~nendeclto so larqct n l alty, tlroliol~ or a. i i~rclc passen-ger, n l lo ~ n o y :ur to l o t.oirle of t l i e d r i ~ i ~ i gliin~qelf, t t l l r ~ ~ - t n ~ l ~s L 1)1(>,1\nut cliiclc tot r a ~ e l rl, the I o.11nnnr 11nc.l~ ~~ i l~- t l i i i l )ei11~

~)wticul:~rly:oo(l, tlie lior-PC; no lwi11g I~nrcl,swift a n d surrl uotetl. 111 1~1:1Lirrg lic tr ip of

P

the J :Iss, Iio\iever, t11c.y :Ile l)lullo to i l w t u i thaccidents : a n d , t l ~ o ~ i g l ~hey nie l~rcfcbral~le otongis fur a p r ~ t ~ tlong tiic ] e k e to Jamrudand back tile I I I O I P ~ I I I I I ~ ) I U I I ,O , I \ ~ ~ J : I I I C ( ~~ to

be recomruendrd for the trip to -1li J l l~ i j id orLundi Kotal.

The fare l ~ yurn-turn to T,un(li Kotnl is an Financial pre.cnr~tiuna t o be

indeter~nir~ate unutily nntl h a s t be br11.g;rined t a k ~ n .about belore start ing. I n view of the fact thatthe Pesliawar trim t~un wallirl~ is one of themost irrespollsi1)ly un.;crrlpulous ruff. tins un-hung, it is well for the strttnger to allou thehotel manager or the D6k 13tmjialow bahoo tom ke the neceqsnry financial nrrangments.At any rate, the proper fare is frorn Hs. 15 to


34/94

C H A P TIIF, ~ < F I Y ~ I S R SS 9

Rs. 20 for tho rounri t r i p though nativecan r e t it done for less.

Since tbese pages were set up in type its ms that t he D k Hu ng ~l ow t L und i Kotrtlhas been closed. On November 17 th an o Ecia1 notification was ; ed.'in connection with

ath rimnitg~ment of the Khyber, wherein i twas set forth that :

P e r s o n ~ ishing to v isi t - th e Khyber ~ x s must firstobtain wri tto n passes from t h e Political Officer in t h eKhyber , or, i n his absence, from th e Commissioner or t h eOfflcer Commltnding t h e Khyber Force nt Lundi KotnI,

or t h e Officer Commanding t h e hyber IZifles a t Ja mr ud .Visitors are able to proceed as f a r as Lundi Xotnl andr e tu rn t he same day by tonga with three hours s ta yallowed a t Lundi Kotal , but no accommodation Isavailable there.

.

from Peshawar, he can easily as ce ~t ai n xactlywhat he will require for the excursion on what-ever day he inakes i t for, sometimes, certain


35/94

8 THE X I I Y U E H PA S S [ CIIAP

A tongn accomrnocla c h four persons inclu 1-. im the drivcr tha t is t o ~ v ,1irc.c passengers.

hotel manager or the U i k Kungalow baboo tomake the necessary financial nrrangrnents.A t any rate tlie proper fare is from Its. 15 to


36/94

CIIAF. I I I TIIE IIIIYDICR PASS 9

Its. 20 for tho round t r ip ; though a nativecan get it done for less.

T he dr ive by t u m t u m to Ali Illusjid and backI I O U I ~cost fro111 Rs. 10 to Iis 15 a n d to

J a n ~ r u drom Ry. 2 to Its. 3

F I I T ~ Ro 0 t h ~ ~ 110 drive to Ja m rw l can also be done by~ l n c a s h i n t ~ r .eatill tllo hql . l l~ t01 1 or f io l~ ll s :l to Its. 5 for t l ~ e e tu rn

jo111.ney. l lic 1 eslr;irvor l~ nclr l)tr:ctoris, how-

ever, are not a s good, class for cl:lss, as thePesLavar 1i:~ckt111 - l u l u s .

T l m e s c h e d ~ l l o f on0 O I J ~ Y 1 ~ q i l . e ~ o see tIrt? Pass itself,o n t r l p t u LulldlK O L I . uue c t ~ n v n ~ o t.rl~a w ar :it 7 o calock in t he

niolnilig, reach 1 lulJi Tiotnl at noon, leavethe re at 3 in tlie tiftcrnoon, nncl Ijo 1)nclti n I e-

s1i:twnr 1)y 6-30 or 7 o c l ~ ~ c l ~ - - j r ~m p l e t i ~ n efor a good hat11 and a w:i~,libefore d i i ~ n ~ r .

l ltere is a U,ilr N ~ ~ n g a l o wn the fortifiedse~ cii a t Luncli 1iot:ll w here one c:in p u t upfor lunch ut it rnust be b o ~ * n en mint1 thatn o cook o r s e r ~ a n tre lrept th er e h e travel-ler has to p ~ o v id e hes e llirliself a s w c l l asw hatever food h e requires. 1 1ior to st ar tin gfrorn Peshawar, h e can easily ascertain exactlywhat h e will re quire fort ho excursiorl on what-ever day h e m ake s it for, sometimes, certain


37/94

3 T H E KIIYUER P SS [ C SIAI .

stores and conveniences Inny be procured inthe bazar or coffee sllop at Lundi Kotal wllichat other times cnn only he got from Peshawar.

D~sndvarlta~:ea

When duty calls one cannot he n cllooser 1 t r . 1 r u l l l 11 ~h u t wonthe1

of seasons wherein to travel up or down theKhyber; but when it is the intention of thetraveller to visit the place for the simple gra-tification of a desire to look at i t it i d well to

warn him that tlie game is not worth the can-dle during the hot weather and if any realenjoyment is to be got out of the expuit ion i tshould only be attemped sometime between the1st October and the middle of Jlnrcli. FVlien C n l a o 3 a t tlie

intense hc.kt,.i t gets warn1 in the Khyber i t gets fright-

fully hot indeed for the rocks absorb the heatof the sun by day and exliale i t by night sothat tlie place is never cool. Even tlie hardyAfghan traders succunlb to the heat. Thisdespatch dated August 9th 1809 will give afair idea regarding what happens during a hotspell and may act as a sort of deterrent by con-vincing people that summer travel in the Khy-her has no element of amusement about it :

The heat in the Khyber recently has been , ~~~ '$ , f : y ~very intense. A short time ago a man belong-


38/94

i n g to I c,ara\an (lied of l ~ c ~ n tl )o l )lcxy a t La

Hag Two clays Iatrr n trn \c.l l(,r on roadl l e i k r J n ~ n r ~ i dnd a coolie ernploycd by t h eI ill)lic 1V ol.k~ D ep artm en t betmeen Jarrirud: i i~dAli AIi~hjid ied from th e sam e cause. T I ~ -r ing the s :me week a rnan an d a wolnnn ac-corn psn yi~ lg caravan died of hea t apoplexyon tli r roacl near 1,undi Kotnl. Y et a n -

o the r rnnn was taken ill and d ied from apop-lexy tltuing t l ~ r i gh t ill tl ie Lund i Kotal1Iospit:tl. S iuce these dea ths n r r a n g ~ m e n tsIlnre bre n mad e to sr n d a m ule load of ice orwater wit i l every caravan. 8

This brochure only aspires to treat of the

British section of th e Kh yber hut , as some~ h cnd f rom people a re u nder the impression th a t th e ent i re

ho Kot;tl toKabul road to Kabul is t h r o u g l ~ h e Khyber Pass,

a list of t h e marches beyond llu ud i Kotal ishere given. On days tha t th e Pass is open forI hujila traffic a tourist can, as stitted above,proceed by tonga or turn-turn from Peshawar toLundi Kotal, t iffin a t t h e Diik Hungalow in thela t ter for t and return to the Front ier Ci ty inainplc t im e for dinne r, th e journey up t a k i n g

r s s t h a n five hours and th e down t r ip n ot


39/94

32 TIIE KrIPUER PASS [ CIIAP. I11

more than four. Beyond 1,undi Kotnl, liow-

ever, travelling is slow andd i f f i c r l l

t,bcc:tuse

l t~norary ofone has t o c n t r y one s owl1 tent l ) i o ~ i s i o n r , tc. t ~ l u r u u t o .The n ~ ~ r c l l e siven \)elowara b 6 l(i11g q JI:L~.cIIcsso-called, and. in rriost cases t l ~ c rdinary tra-veller will c o ~ e r t least two of theill i n rt tiny.Luridi l i u t a l to Tor I 11arn is less t l ~ n n lalf amarch, and i s only notetl on tlre i t i n e i n ~ y, e-cause a t tlint po iu t t l l e traveller l c n ~ e r i8escort of l i ly l)or Rifles behind ant1 is take11 incharge by Afgllan gum 1s or ~ ~ / L ~ L s s ~ ~ Y ~ .

T h e route i s as f~)llows:-

1 i o r : ~ r ; : I:I~OJI I 1 ~ s r r ~ n . a ~ tO I


40/94

f

1 c

l i

12


41/94

4 TIIE KIITIIEIL I ,\>S Cll.\P.

It is net?tlless t o s t n t ~ . t ll at t ll e j o r ~ l , ~ ~ r ~ yo.t lr r i lf gl la r~ c.; lliit ;ll C * ; I T I I I O ~1~ I I I ; I I ~ll ( ;iNY an ca-1

t r i l , .l ) ic .~l icSasl~ioll ilic tllnt U J J t l ~ cC l ; ~ . l ) c ~ r.o 1,1111-ili K ~ t i ~ l .t i s a I I I : L ~ ~ ( J ~11:~t ~ , ( > ( j t ~ i ~ . e s011g n-tcrilationnl corrc:l~c;~itlcI L ~ . T11v i1111ir l ~ t t so

extent1 l ~ r i n i s s i o no t 1 1 ~i)l.c>ii:ilt~ro txl;tr>;. llist l o l n i ~ ~ i o i ~ s .vllil(l tilt. I l r i t i s l l ( , i c , \~ r rn l~ lcn tinst s e cu re solrlr g u ; l ~ n r ~ t c ~ c~ o ~ r rl ~ cA ~ i i i r h y t

its sul jec.t will I i ( ' ::llo\\.etl to clc.li:lrt :~g:lil~\it11n whole slcin. 1 j, t l i ~ ' i m e a ll t l l c ~ ~ c ~1rclillli-n : ~ r i e s 1 ; ~ v e1, 21.n n r i n u g r . ~ ~ ,~ i c : t l 'h,(b~~cr 1:~sg e r l r l ~ ~ l l yti~ tl nil, c~ tilr~ c, o I(.:II .IIor 11it11srlf

I ~ ~ ~ l l i ~ l l r l , ~ , l ~.Lex-:ic.tly 1v11;~tr i l l bv l ~ i s c .r ll ~ ir c~ ~ u c ~ i~ t .;~ r , l ~ r l , l i , . c ~ l f l , l .I l l : L i v l i t l,i,lj,ll

j o ~ i ~ n e ~ .11 i g ~ , ~ , ~ ~ . ~ ~ l\ -ax it, I I : I ~ stt:t~.~cl,

tl ln t 11c 1r1u:;l l)l.octll.cl 11 1 . t~N , I I ~ ~ Y ,r ~llalcxr,-OJle sol' h i s t (' i ,t , or c> f i ) ~ l lc tn.0 / ~ l / ~ t ~ ~ l ~ ~ i l ~ ,

or l)ac l< r u n l < . ~ ,n wli ic l~11is clo t l l i~ lgi1111 otl ieref-frcts t i r e c ; ~ l ivtl, nil11 one for his l ) i ~ o ~ i s i o n s -oil , l a u l l ) ~ , ooii ing ~utenai ls ,~ t c . 111 ntltlition

to t l ~ c s e , t h % ill rc~c~11i1.cL couple of horws o rpo l~ ies - -ono enell 1ii11;sc.lf a ~ ~ t lc,r\-:~ilt. \Vit11these he l)roct:c.tls u p t l i t* I i l ~ y l ~ c ro Tor Ii11;1111in the oi~c1in:u.y1ii1y : ~ n d s n ~ r t t t lie l at te r111:tce 1)y :In c ~ o 1 . t f fi.oni lmlf i lozeil t oluindrecl s o ~ c u j o 1. ~i louni-ed rool )s , v.ho l ~ a v e


42/94

1)ee11 ( l o s p ~ ~ t r l t o ~ l l ~ i t l ~ ( s rt . o ~ n J : ~ l : \ I a l ) a ( l Iyt l l ~ ~ ~ i i t , ' s ~ ~ l t > r, q . l 11(3 : , t r t ~ ~ ~ g t l tf t 1 1 ~ ~ S C ~ I I ,

(;.~t,~in;: I l c t l t x1 f i ' 1 l (1~ ~ l i t i ~ ~ ~ l y11)ol' t l t ~ (l:l(c'ln i l l \ \ , l l ic . l1*tlr.lrgtil of i l l

.i. l.tI I I I I . 11 i ~ ( l ( l i t i o l l

t o t l l i s . t l ~ lI t k l i : 111 r111c~rw i l l l~ro >:~lt ly(>r1(1tlon.11 s c r v a ~ ~ t s ,r n ~ i s ; ~ o r l ~ ~ i ~ n ; ~ l s ,) r o ~ i s i o ~ l s ,c:tc. ctc. , to nl:y o ~ t 1 i n : ~ r i l yit\ c ~ c h c l ;~~clst f 11isg o \ . o r 1 1 1 1 1 ~ 1 i t 1)1~ tt. is ~ 1 1 \)r tlb1> ~ : ~ \ e l i t > i ,

to carry 11is ]\\ I1 s l l ) l ) l y 0 s o i l l l l ~ l ~ l ' ~ l O r ( ~ ? , - -~ : L I I I S , l~irlcl(v.. t i1111 ~11 t ~ ~ t l : ~ t : d . 1tca.. f'oi. I L Pi 4 a l l

1t11yn o t l ~ i l l g ~ I ~ ~ . c ~ : i t l , l i i c l ; c > ~ j , 111 tl 11 i 1 t t to 11nloll:,. l l is i i i i t ~ o f ~ a : ~ t , r i l . Z t t o t l i c ~ l ~ ltiilg t oI>(>; : I , n I I I ~ I I ~ I. ~l ~ t k : ~ i , i L11;;t I O I I ~ I i 1 1 r ~A I ~ I ~ I

IIOIY c o n t r o l s :I. ;;)ir i f t l i i t i i ; t . ~ y nf 7;:11)1~1\ v l ~ c ~ r c ~

tltey 1,1.01luc,c~itt r ~ i o i l I c ~ r r ~ i l ~ c ~, I I I ~ I i t 1 i l l 1c r e i ~ t i u i i , l r \ 'v ~ . t l ~ c . i ~ : I (. i-. a g~rotl J I a l ~ c1 1 -

I I I ~ I ~ ~ L I In o t l l c ~ r : t ~ t r t l t10c.s lot,

1 ) t t r v y y l i i < ~ I I I J G ~ : ;\ t i ; 1 1l ) t l ( , i q 11, \< l ~ ; ; : < t ~ ~ . O -< ] )> v : t i < , ~ I ~ I .

I I ~ Y o f si~irilq bo(1.y t l t t i t sally l ~ t ~ ( ~ c l \, \ . 11 ; - > #jr ~ i , ~ \ i t 17 ( 'I 'o>,~F< I C c ~ h b . t ~ . - .

tll(: Afgllan f ' ~ . o ~ ~ t i t , ~ ,\ . i t l 1 0 1 , :, I > : I ( ( , I ~ I I ; I ~ I ,L I ~ ; ] ) ; ~ .A l l o t l ~ c ~ r n g g t ~ s t i o ~ ~ o 11t:, ;c~ is i n t l ~ c b r ~ ; i t t r ~ .

o f ;~ jr;itch tl \ ~ : i t c ~ ~ . . t \ \ . t i i l i t l i ~ c ~ c i n i i ~ c ~I C ~ O Z ~ ~ I1)ouies t o c;:l,i.y L , i l l f l j t~ ic~ l l c .y f sot : -\\ :ti ('1' L L.

f111y n t 3 t11i1tV : ~ I Y I I o r S I I ~ 1L I I . Y I I I . ~ . ' l ' l 11 ~ 1 ' 1 ~r(>t l l i l l g w ~ l l ~ ~ t l ~ , n l . l < l c * t s , " l o w - r \ . t ~ r - t ~ : ~ l t h u ~ ' ~


43/94

36 T H E KEIPBER PASS CIIAP I11

of liquid carbonic g a s with a special sort ofbott le wherein they are broken anti in rp r~ g n a te

The v z l l l ~t h e water contained there in with carbonic acid Spnrk lLtsg a s ; in other words, cnr1)onntc t h e water.W i t h two such sl)eci:il bottles th a t only costn

couple of rupe es apiece a t t h e Stores, anti n

couple of boxes of tlie S park lets, one cancarry the equivalent of a hundred rlozen bottles

of sodit-water in t h e same space as a till ofkerosine.

Th is disposes of t h e rout c of t k Kllyh er. ,,,yZ;;,t;;zl,;I t s contour-the physical frature s of th econ 8try th ro u g h w hich i t is carried-mny befar more briefly described. T h e hills t h a t wall

i t in on e ith er side, rise u p frorn2 000 l o nearly7 006 feet, nro des ti tu te of a11 ve rdure savescrub by patch es of dese rt brush , wilh a n occa-sional shrivelled looking th or n t rce an d perhaps

bun ch of coarse grass sprout ing here and th erein th e she lte r. Fr om th e loft ie r r idges ofAspog har, Tor Sap par, and sim ilar elevations,

splen did views of t ll e sur rounding count ry a reobtainable. lprom suc h poin ts of vantage t h e poi tB f vs

tnggc for bi.ideass itself rnay be tra ce d lik e a yellow-brown VICRrY.

ribbon winding ill snaky curves from th e broad


44/94

CIIAP. TIIE KTIYIiEll I'.4 9 i'

plains of Pcshnwnr tr t h r narrow onm of Jnlnl-

abatf in Afghanis tan, nit11 tllc hrond fitreamof the Knhul River swrelingboldly from n c s tto east nncl th en curv ing nwny to tho north -wnrtl. F roxn Aspoghar n splendicl aspect ofth e Pass itself and t h e numerou s ruined villagesnlong th e road from G ur gu rra townrtls T,undiKotnl mny be hatl, as also a fair gliml)sc ofJlundi Kotal itself. From Tor Snppar t h e viewis even better, esprcially th a t of Afghanistan.

tcnlogicnl f o pr ti n of the Tlie forlnation of all the hills is principally11111s

shnle and clay slato, with great outcrops ofmica, schist iu plleccs-black mica th a t gtoam sin tho distance an d givos tho otitcrops tlie

the appearance of being covered with water inregion where a ll i s a r id and d ~ y . l'liere is

also any amount of gneiss with a little l i m nstone. The t hales are forru gi~ ious , rid bandsof quartz streak the slialos and igneousrocks

T he n~icit schist forrns tlie m ost dis tinc tiverock Eeature, however, for it1 t l ~ e laces it ju stfrom th e mou ntain sides, i t shines in t h e sun

, ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ , , l w k h shough wet wi th r ~ i n r spring water andthe ptttches of i t are visible from great dis-L%nces--in ce rta in lights, for nany miles


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TIIE I I I I Y l l E H P SS [ C H A P

Save in the sllort S ~ I C ~ C ~ ~ C *>(,low nd atwve Ali

Muqjid, and near tlicl T nndi Kotal rcscrvoir~,

there i s no water of any ~ o r t ur ing the drysenson. IVlrcre \viiter ob t t~ inr onci l r ~ a y firrt l

cresses nn 1 sirnilnr growtltr in nl)untlnnc~e, ntialso mniilen?lair an d other fill-ns. T he xnniclcn-

sp r.a o nhair grows as luxur iant ly in sucll placcls as i t v c b ~ t n t l l ~ l l

does i n the Ilimalayas, or in C a l i f o ~ l ~ i n r

Ile plnins, a l l i c l ~ rc ul t i \ i~ te t l

with p r i rn i t i ~e plows made of I)en t ~ t i c l ~ iwith iron-sltod l)oints, n l l celc.i:ls Fecxlri t o

f l ~ t l ~ i s l r , e ~ p i t c tile fact tlint r t ~ o ~ t f' tltcfi Ids arc co c ~ r d it11 small rcelis lilir ~ l w yt):tllast. A certain nurnber of h l~ecl ), oats, ant1

cattle f i l i t l \nfficient l)asturagc, ill the 11ills t oJteep tl~caln rom stnrcing bu t ~ I I Kltyber i~

no grazing conntry.


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Somc poi tlts of i l i tcrc st ; bout in11tli 1 l o t ~ I- To r S LKI) ', Suffulli IIill u n t l Pis;;:tl~- S l ~ i l ~ w m ~ i illnges -lted

O grir11~11ry KIL LO n t l l ~i ine wl lcdul r g i \cn in t h e l ~ s t 11:ll ter.

Tile ser-riis of course ar e m ere rectang ularenclosures and need not be biiited to 1)r

co~nprelicntlccl but, to r~ a c l l 1)loper under-st :~ntl ingof t h e l)l,bcc :~nc l td way< , oile uldremain t ' t l e~e day or t n o ;it leabt. T l~ e res,for instance, a finc tralk. nortllwaldr, to TorSap par , whence a aplcrldid biew of t h e snow-

t iewn frolntfle capped spurs of t he H in du Kuvh inouil tainsa

ma y be seen, and t he Icabul l i i ~ t r~ t i t l d i n gdown past Dakku, nd t l ~ e o re d is tan t p la insof Jallalabad. Anotlier \c ry good view of t h eAfghan plains a n d iuoulltain ranges m aybehad from t h e sulnn lit of Sufl'olk llill, o\erloob-


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ing T,nndi Kot:tl, ul which there is now nnexcellent if S O I ~ ~ C W ~ I : L ~I I I C ~ ~ U O I I S roadway,w11icl.i was grndcd and cut through the rockof the hill at the tirne it was intended tofortify the elevation in qt~estio n. I t is an easy

f < l l l l l t Pi\gllnnd pleasant walk from the serni whencc thc nlld t o W ~ ~ L

t111ks

sum mit lriay be reached in less th an an hour.Mount Pisgnh, also overlooking the fort and

Tor K ham , is ano ther 1 leasant and easy walkand then one ought to go down and see th ewater tsnlrs, wherein th e main su pB y for th efort s stored.

T h e Shinwnri villages back of the fort arevery picturesque, especially in the spring when T ~ h i n a d l ~

villngos

th e fields wherein they are situa te are elne-rald green, and the dead red-brown of thesurrounding hills is softened by odd scraps ofverdure-mere scrub and thorn, no doubt, butstill a pleasing chan ge from th e usual andinexorable neutrality of rock color. Theircharm vanishes an too close on inspection ; fortheir inhabitants a re not tidy people, and half O n o t C O I I ~ L

lnspcctionth e child ren one sees playing about are suffer-ing Goul sore-eyes, ring-worm, and othervisibly unpleasant complaints. I t rnay be


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stated for their par t th nt th e Shinwaris by notcourt close insl~ection n fact, they tfo not likestrangers to enter th eir villitges under a ny cir-cumstances.

Oth er points of interest are t h e remainsoft h e Budtlilist wall--eiider~tl,y frontier defence

points of ~ re-C:llristian times,-which cre sts t h e Itilloi intoreat above, beyond, an d to t h e west of t h e water

tanks , Sorrie relrlains of a n old tern ple alsoexists in t l ~ i s oc:tlity. The site of th e ciestroy-ed Afridi villages lower clown the I 'Rss- '~ ~~

f 1 t . o j l ~l i i t , so t o speak-might a150 be lookedover nd one m ig h t possibly have a chance of

insp ecting t h e Bori Pass-a narrowbut pic-

turesqtlc defile leading over in to t h e BazarValley from a point ahout four miles south-west of t h e fort. It is dangerous, however, foran y bu t an armed par ty to make excursions toa n y of th e points of in terest not directly on t h ePa ss itself.

Xrrival of F o r one who ha s never witnessed such aKhafi la spectacle, i t will be found most ente rtnin ing

to watch th e arrival of IL l~afilu n t h e s e ~ u ion Monday or Th ursday evening, an d tonote how these strange merchants fromKabul,


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42 TIIE KIIYBER P SS CHAP V

Bokhara and even from far Tib et enca m p and

rest themselves for th e nig ht before makingth e last stage of their journey down th e Passon th e morrow rnorning. T he charm of t h e

Tilo cnmovpictu re wears off aft er a while u t on firstd their bul-view it is really delightfu l to watcli th o Line-toscopic pic ture presented by this arm y of tradersand the i r fo llo icer~ . T l i e r ~ re t lic hundreds ofslow undu lant slobbery-lipped c ~ ta ~ e lstalk-ing along sedately with great bulgingeetsf ~ i l lof pomegranates frorn Kabul or bales ofsilver and golden tl~readn nd sequins or preci-ous sillrs an d rich embroideries from Bolrharaand tho looms of Turkistan th en there are

laden mules and oxen and ponies and donkeysof d l sizes and breed s; then also there arethe hardy an d d ir ty carnel-drivers-the Oont

Fil l~ng thellwtrllnhs--that unload th ei r gru nt in g charges of tlurncrouu st q

macs

their bulky burdens on th e sands of th e seruian d th en lead them-still g ru n ting ancl groan-in g and bubbling in th at nasty way th at onlycalnels can-to th e steep sided ta n k nearby-adjacent to th e graveyard in fact-where theyskate about on th e sl ippery bank and stumb ler~os t wkwardly ere th ey leisurely bu t noisily


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C H A P IT 1 THE RIIYllER PASS 43

l ~ r o c e e d o fill their numerous s tomachs with

water. TVith tllese a r e com niingletl women inl ~ w d ( i l ~ ,l e r c l~ an t ;~ ~ s i .s tan ts , c ltl laurag~ an dndvcnturt\rs, an d ch ildren of every ag e, all

A mot,oy variously attired i n t h e l ) ic . tu r e s q u ~ a g s t h a tga thcr~~ly serve s c lo t l~es n every X ~ L O W Ilike and clan

b e t a een Hokllnrn an d Prshaw nr. Th ey bickerwi th each o t l~ e r , h ri ek and occasionnlly hootl ike owls, t i l l t h e sun go s down, and theirf r n p l m c:~ ls re f i~lislletl ant1 t he n th e y liedown by t he ir t l . e n s u r e s , ~ ~ i t l ~h e ea r th a s the i rbed a i d t h e s ky as their counter l )ane, and

heir couchs leep un t i l rrmjbc an hou r or two befuse the

a n dcoll l l tor daw n, wllen th ey ri?e to l,ncl< an d pr ep ar e for~~~~

t h e th ir ty-mi le march down th e Khyber.

It solznds oriental , of a tr u th , an dit is orientalbut i f you w ant to know what Kh yhcr l ~ l ~ c ~ j i l u sreally mean, you m u d bc a t A l i J l u s j i d a b o u tnoon t im eon a Fr ida y, wlwn th e Afghan-boundan d th e Indian-bound cnra\anu rrleet an dpass.

Wa t c h them there for say thrtlt? hours at astretch, ant1 in m o nt h or so yon will haveseen enough of Kl~r@ ltrs o Inst you for everand for ever


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44 T H E K H Y I E R PASS CHAP. V

CHAPTER V

The tribos of t ho Khyber-Guod bcharionr of t h eSllinwaris-Lnwlcss habits of t i l o Z~lkltn Khcls-Somei l~cidents f t h e i r I~istury-T11c Bf alikd in~ r i~ r i r b y o g o ~ ~ egreatness,--The Kltkkis, Karnra i s I i m ~ l b a r s r u l Si1~;tIls.

With the esception of the Slliuwnris, who

have always been a well behaved lot, the

Khgber tribes are p ~incil~ally omposed ofruffianly characters, who, Ilowerer, n hardy p ; ,food ol

and brave, and make excellent qoldiers when

properly drilled and disciplined. TlieseGhinwaris are the only tribesmen whose

villages along the Pass were left standing

after the re-taking of th e Khyber by GeneralHarnmond in the winter of 1897 08 arid, on A o

sixty b ~ l l n g o s .the plateau around and about Lundi Kotal,

they have about sixty of those walled villages

of the country, duly protected by towers.Distributed among these villages are over 86

fighting men. These helped General Ham-

rnond s force to picket the upper section of th e

Khyber when he entered the Pass in December1897 Like all the hillmen, they are of splendid Physical ch

rncterirtica ofphysique, being t ll and raw-boned with the 0hinwnris.


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( HAP. ] TIIH KIIYIIEI< PASS 4 5

i~r lmense eet and bands an { rnther L , Jcmi~hty p e of countenance. Som e of th e inen ar econsiderably over six feet in he ight , a n d , n s

race, th ey a re dec idedly good loolcing.

Descending the Pass , the next t r ibe wecome to is th e Zak ka Khels , th e Pnkhni sec-tion of which ownod abo ut fifty of th e fortifiedvillages in t h e vicinity of th e road t h at were des-t royed by th e Bri tish du rin g th e spr ing of189 7.

he trouble T h e Zakkns are th e Afridis who have given ou rrullle Zakkas.

troops, an d everybody else who ever liad an y-th in g to do wi th thern , more t rouble than a l lth e o ther Khels pu t together. Th ei r reputa-tion for evil was as thoroughly established over

th ir ty years ago as i t is to-day. W rit i ng offici-a l ly thereon in 1864 Major James-one of t h eabl est officers ever in ch ar ge of t h e PeuhanrarDivision-observed inte? nli In no ins tancea r e t h e wild an d lawless hab its of th e Afridi raceso ful ly i l lustrated as in th e Zak ka K hel .

Cul t ivating but l i t t le , despising t h etra d e in firewood, which is t h e chief m eansofsubsis tence in winter to most of the other

The virtueadmired by t r ibes, th ey depend wholly upon plu nd er.maidens.

Exp ertness in thieving is th e sole characteristic


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CIIAP T H E KEIYIIER PASS 1

The golluine the point marked Gurgurra on the outlinel u c n l l t ~ o t h oKlly bor map and the Kanda Ravine, about a mile

below ~ & d i


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THE K I ~ Y B E R P SS CIIAP, v

on sucll simple die t, he felt confident th a t no

good could come of conquering such people, solle took hi s arm y away. To th is day nea rly 811A f r l d i s onjoy

th e Afridi tribes seem to enjoy t he hardships of poverty.poverty ant1 to livel ives of the utmost frugality.

The Kulrki Khels are mostly a bed lot, andare llarhourers of thievesand murderers. They

a re very well e r ~ n e d have supplied excellentsoldiers to our native army . Considering theExcollstit food

total strength of the I


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@llAI . V rlrE KIIYnEK P SS 9

the cavalry and infantry of th e native army

with numbers of excellent soldiers. They also

inhabit the Sara Valley us well as th e Maidanof Tirah and Plain, the Kajura, west of Rara

Fort. The ipnhr liave th e same haunts, eave

th at they do not extend into tlie Tirah coun-

try. Their cave dwellings, which they occupyRespectable during the wiilter months, extend for a length

reputation ofthe Yipahs of five rniles up the Kajurtt Valley. They bear

perhaps tho best reputation for good behaviourof 811 the Afridi tribes, and h ~ v e lso an excel-lent name for bravery. Singularly enough,

however, few, if any of them take service inour army. This is probably because their landsin t l ~ e ara Vallcy supply them with all the re-

quirements. That t h ~ y omfort tllelnselves witha certain amount of decenoy and self-restraintrnay be inferred from the fact that only one

of their Jltclilis or headmen have been killed

since 1878. The Kamrais, with only 500 or600 fighting men, have had four of the ir dIc li7cs

slain within the same period, while threeheadmen of the Khambers were murderedbetween 1880 and 1 8 8 9

Wit h regard to the. foregoing, the followingcommentary on the Kl~ybe r Afridis th a t


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5 THE KHYBER PASS [ CIIAP.

hppearfil in the last published official Gazetteer ofthe Peshawar District-1883-84-will he fonndinteresting. I t sl~ould he remernberecl, whenreading remarlis cmtnl)iled by the then Com-missioner, that they weye written thirteen yearsbefore the Ti ra l~ ising of 1897, wlien the Passhad been but five years under the direct controlof the British ILclj, and years before tlie sak;lgt.

jezailcltis bho tl~e ri nnrcled I


58/94

occupy extensive set t lements . I n tho winterthey descend to t h e lli11s nntl vt ~l le ys on t h ei~ nm ed ia to border froin J L L I I I ~ U I ~o tlie K ollntPuss ; cul t ivat ing whnt l i t t le aral~leand t l iereis ; engaging s tetinntv with the Zccrni ~tEars

of I'eshnwi~r; p. ts turing t l ~ c i r flocks on th elower hill3 ant1 grassy plains a t t l le i r foot ;and ca rry ing on L large t rad e with th e I'c~shit\vnr

di str ic t in firewood, cllar coi~ l,rais, inntv ndropes ll~aclc of t lle leaf of th c ( I w ~ ~ r f l ~ a I nThe 1 ~ w 1 ~ a n e n t~ : ~ I ~ j t a t i o n sf tlie lC11jljer Afii-di s n1i.I A ka li llc l, w ith t few exc(q)tionlr, a rein t l ~ eJppr r I3ara Volley r z r ~ c lTi r a l ~uiitl in

N m a d s theart t lcir vi.;it., to the lo\l:cxr kills tlrlrillg winter

they lire l jrnctieally th o liSc of no~nat is .Cornmencin ji wit11 ti ? l ihy >cr A f t i d i ~ , t

will be co nre nie nt to rlotc tll:~t i ley aye dividedin to t h e follo u~ ing lans tlu? Jittki T(he1, t h eQ ~ m b n r K licl, tlic JI:~lil< i ~ h lic.1, Sep,zllKamrai , arid Ille %nkll:t I(1~ rl. O nr carliest

1899 khyber--a sketch of the pass by morphy s

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