CHAPTER XV

KABUL AND ITS BAZAARS

[Illustration: THE FAMOUS CAGE ON THE SUMMIT OF THE LATABAND PASS]

The bazaars of Kabul are quite unworthy of the capital, but radical improvement in their character could only be made by a complete reconstruction of the city. Here and there new ones have been built, Habib Ullah himself having erected several at his own expense, but the principle of construction, adopted at the time of the building of the city, is the great stumbling block to any extensive alterations. The narrowness of the streets, many of which are mere alleys, gives rise to perpetual congestion; while, in consequence of their contracted character, they are always dirty and overloaded with the refuse of the houses, more particularly in winter when they are blocked with the snow, which is swept from the roofs. Of the several bazaars of the city,[42] the three principal, running irregularly parallel to each other, are the Shor Bazar, the Erg Bazar, and the Darwaza Lahori Bazar. The former extends east and west from the Bala Hissar to the Ziarat Baba Khudi, a distance of little more than three-quarters of a mile. The latter, stretching from the Darwaza Lahori, passes through the centre of the wood market and terminates at the New Bridge. The Erg Bazar crosses the town and communicates with the workshops. The western portion of the Darwaza Lahori Bazar was the site of the Char Chata, at one time undoubtedly the most magnificent bazaar in Afghanistan. The structure, ascribed to Ali Mardan Khan, whose name is immortal in these countries, was handsomely laid out and highly embellished with paintings. Four covered arcades, of equal length and dimensions, were separated from each other by open squares, originally provided with wells and fountains. The entire fabric was destroyed in October 1842 by General Pollock, as retribution for the murder of Sir William Macnaghten and the indignities offered to his remains.

[Illustration: WEIGHING WOOD IN THE BAZAAR]

The Nakush Bazar, or cattle market, is situated north of the Kabul river and west of the Pul-i-Kishti in the Indarabi quarter. The Mandi Kalan and the Mandi Shahzada, the chief grain bazaars, lie in the Tandur Sazi quarter, between the Shor Bazar and the Darwaza Lahori. The Shikarpuri quarter, adjoining the Pul-i-Kishti on the right bank of the river, is the fruit market. Here are collected the various fruits for which the capital of Afghanistan is so famous, the exhibition of grapes, apples, apricots and pears becoming at once the glory of the bazaars. Melons are missing from this bazaar, as this important branch of the fruit trade of Afghanistan is conducted in the Mandi Kalan. Near to the fruit bazaar are the wood and charcoal markets, each section of trade possessing its particular locality and its special marketplace.

In this way there is a shoe bazaar, a meat market, a vegetable market, a copper bazaar, silk bazaar and certain central marts where arms, tobacco, furs, medicines and cloth are sold. In the boot bazaar there are a number of Anglo-Indian importations and no less a quantity from Russia. The native shoes are made from leather which is manufactured in Kabul at the Amir’s factory--articles of local manufacture being put up as a rule upon the premises where they are sold. The more important merchants possess accommodation beneath their shops, where craftsmen, whose special industry is allied with the business in the premises above them, are employed. These underground rooms are so small that the men at work are compelled to crouch over their knees, while customers, who bring articles for repair, sit in the street. In the copper bazaar, where domestic utensils are to be found, there is the ceaseless tapping of countless hammers, as the men, assisted by boys who ply the bellows or feed the furnace with charcoal, wield their tools upon long-necked vases, hubble-bubbles, kettles, cooking pots, water-bottles with delicate handles and graceful spouts, stoves, plates and copper boxes of all shapes and sizes. These workers in metals, whether they are the ironmongers or silversmiths, smelters of copper or the moulders of brass, are worthy of their hire, and bring to their labours an extraordinary patience and exactitude. The silversmiths are, perhaps, the most wonderful craftsmen, although the men who trace fantastic designs upon metal vessels with blunt instruments are not to be despised. From early morning, without cessation until the heat of the mid-day hours makes work impossible, they bend over their tasks,

## actively working their pliers, tweezers and hammers as they fashion

ear-rings, bracelets or graven ewers. The business, transacted at these stalls, seems out of proportion with the labour involved, as sales are arranged between the merchant and his customers only after many days of protracted dealing.

The method of barter is always the same in the East. Customers sit down by the side of the merchant, examining and asking the value of his goods, praising certain pieces and decrying others, until conversation has worked round to the article which it is desired to buy. Ten times the price will be asked at first, perhaps haggled over with all sincerity, until, as the would-be purchaser rises to leave, a few rupees will be knocked off the figure which the vendor has been demanding. It is then prudent to leave, returning some other day to begin over again. The hours spent in an Oriental bazaar are of such supreme interest that they are sacrificed very willingly and are not easily forgotten. The setting of the scene is romantic, while the life of the city passes in endless, kaleidoscopic changes of character, of costume and of men and beasts. It is never wise to hurry transactions conducted amid such environment. Time is of no value to the merchant, who regards the overtures with indifference. He may hope that ultimately his customer will become his patron, but he would never show his satisfaction nor lose an opportunity to drive a haggling bargain. Around the shops there are always groups of idle but profoundly interested spectators. Some one ascertains the price the worker is paid; another inquires of the merchant the amount he will receive for it; and, in the hope of extracting a commission from the proprietor of the shop or his purchaser, all are eager to advise the customer upon the merits of the article he may have chosen or the sum he may have offered.

In the silk and cotton bazaar there is equally the press and bustle of an active trade, a continuous passing of gaily-decked customers and busy traders--from India with caravans of silk, from Turkestan with bales of printed cottons, plain calicoes and other articles of Russian manufacture, merchants and itinerant traders from the most distant parts of Afghanistan, from Persia and from Kashgar. There is, too, a wonderful blaze of colour in the silk stalls, while the display of goods in the cotton shops reveals a various assortment of English clothing--cotton and merino vests, men’s shirts, drawers and socks--and a variety of coloured waistbands, a weird collection of ties and some really startling handkerchiefs from India. These stalls, whether their effects are imported from India or from Turkestan, are mostly in the keeping of Hindus, who transact a very profitable business with their Afghan masters. Nevertheless, long intercourse with Afghanistan has quite crushed the Hindu, obliterating all trace of his original individuality, and emphasising his inborn humility and lack of spirit. In Kabul the Hindus pay a poll tax and wear turbans, which may be only red or yellow--a similar rule prevailing in Kandahar. Formerly they affected the red, the blue lungi, which is prohibited to them, being favoured by the Afghans. Similar indications of prosperity may be found in the skin bazaar, where the furriers are engaged in making the fur coats for which Kabul has become famous. Here there are several kinds of expensive furs such as marten, a variety of red fox, squirrel, wild cat and astrakhan. Over the latter fur the Amir exercises a monopoly. The cheaper kinds are put to numerous purposes, figuring as lining for cloaks, hats and high boots of the Russian and Turcoman pattern. Many of the fur caps are costly in production and elaborate in design. Cut from a piece of velvet, trimmed with fur and heavily embroidered with gold thread from Benares, they are sold in the Kabul bazaars only to the richest classes, becoming, as a rule, a finishing touch to a costume which, on the score of colour effect, will leave little to be desired.

The character of the costume adopted by the average Afghan depends, in a certain measure, upon whether he is a hillsman or one who is accustomed to town-life. If he possess merely a casual acquaintanceship with the life of the towns, coming to them from some small village or in charge of a trading caravan from the border, his costume is simple although effective. Probably he is a fine-looking man: tall, with a long, blue-black beard; his head may be shaven, or his long hair may hang in ringlets over his shoulders. He will wear a small unembroidered skull-cap and wound round it a blue, coarse, cotton _lungi_. A loose vest, caught at the waist by the ample folds of a _cummerbund_, will reach the knees; and tucked within these folds there will be pistols and an array of formidable knives. His drawers of cotton and reaching only a little below the knees are very baggy. Round his shoulders there will be thrown carelessly, but with conspicuous grace, a heavy blue cotton shawl; his feet will be ornamented by leather sandals with high curving toes.

The dress of a man of the better classes differs from that adopted by the hillsman. He then wears _tom-bons_ or pyjamas, gathered in at the waist and falling in tapering folds from the hip to the ankle, where they fit closely. The native shoes will be worn without socks, unless the wearer is wealthy. An embroidered _piran_ or chemise falls over the pyjamas nearly to the knees, and a waistcoat, reaching a little below the waist, with long sleeves and a slit at the hip, is also affected. The costume is completed by a loose robe. The waistcoat is of velvet or cloth, quilted and generally gold embroidered. The coat is of thin native cloth. The Kabul man-about-town usually amplifies the native costume with European innovations; as a rule the higher he rises in the social scale the more Europeanised he becomes in costume.

[Illustration: PLAYGROUND OF AMIR’S SCHOOL, KABUL]

Nevertheless, the readiness to follow certain European fashions depends solely upon the personal influence of the Amir, although the custom prevails more generally in Kabul than in many parts of India. European weapons are, of course, acquired by all who can afford them; but the earliest and the most striking change of dress is the replacement of the _cummerbund_ by a belt, with a brass or silver buckle and decorated with two labels--“Made in Germany” and “God Bless the Happy Home.” Upon more serious grounds the wisdom of this innovation may be questioned, since the climate of Afghanistan is subject to such great variations of temperature that the _cummerbund_ affords excellent protection to the abdominal region. The purchase of socks and “foreign style” coat or, better still, a discarded uniform follows, while patent leather button boots are considered to give a nice, dressy appearance to the bareness of the leg. Trousers are not general in any degree, although they are affected among the upper classes and also in Court and military circles. They are made quite loose and are put on over the native pyjamas. In spite of the popularity which foreign dress has achieved, it is always discarded in the privacy of the family. While nothing affords Habib Ullah so much pleasure as showing himself in European costume in public, nothing will induce him to wear Western clothes once the doors of his palace have closed upon him and he can recline at his ease amid well-placed cushions. His disapproval of ostentatious habiliment was revealed at the Nauroz festival in 1903, when he ordained that all good Mahommedans of the upper classes should eschew braid, gold lace and embroidered shoes. He also enjoined them to wear trousers and to keep the feet and ankles bare. Hindus were ordered to wear yellow turbans and to encircle the waist with a cord as a mark of distinction and humility.

The attire adopted for ordinary purposes differs in a very considerable degree from that worn by a Court attendant. Regulation Court costume comprises a black cloth coat, vest and trousers, circular astrakhan hat, and white collar with a black necktie. Any one who wishes to attend at the palace or to be present at a Durbar, must wear this dress, which is cut to a special pattern. Military officers wear their uniform. On State occasions the Amir himself is resplendent in a scarlet coat, richly embroidered with gold lace, white cloth trousers and white gloves. For headgear he has an astrakhan hat decorated with a large diamond star,--the costume being completed by a gold belt with jewelled buckle, sword and gold shoulder-straps surmounted by a diamond insignia. In semi-state dress Habib Ullah puts himself into a black uniform, faced with several revers of braid and having deep, astrakhan cuffs, black cloth trousers braided, and patent leather knee-boots. The sleeves, cap, sword and shoulder-straps are the same as in full dress. At other times the Amir wears the ordinary garb of an English gentleman and greatly dislikes any exaggerated display of jewellery, believing that simplicity is not only desirable but in accord with the tenets of the Mahommedan religion. In furtherance of that view he has restricted the wearing of jewellery among men to signet rings and prohibited altogether the gaudy silk handkerchiefs, which it had been the fashion to display about the shoulders. It is difficult for the Afghans to subdue their passion for ostentation. Friday, a day which corresponds with our Sunday, is the great festival of the Afghan. This weekly holiday commences with a visit to the baths and a brief call at the mosque, after which the entire family, arrayed in its best, proceeds to take the air. There are many gardens of a sort in Kabul; and each is thronged by people, who sit about the pathways bartering for bunches of fruit and trays of sweetmeats, or loll with rapt attention around the perch of some singing-bird. Every man of consequence is attended by slaves bearing his pipe, the cage of his pet songster, sweetmeats and fruit, the party coming to a halt in some secluded spot where, lying at ease, receiving and returning the salutations of his friends, he listens to the notes of his favourite bird.

[Illustration: AFGHAN WOMEN]

The indoor costume of an Afghan woman is no less picturesque than that of her lord and master. Even to a plain and awkward woman it imparts some appearance of grace. The _piran_ extends from the throat to just above the ankles, with sleeves that reach to the wrist. It is of cloth of gold, velvet, silk, cashmere or calico, and in shape not unlike our own Princess robe. Beneath this are the _tom-bons_, very similar to the garment worn by men.[43] These may be of cloth of gold, silk, cashmere or calico; they are finished off at the ankles by a fringe of diamonds, gold or silver. A round cap, worked all over with gold thread, so that it looks like gold cloth, is fitted closely to the back of the head. The hair, parted in the centre, is done up in tiny braids, which are caught in a black silk embroidered bag, worn underneath the gold cap, but hanging down the back to below the waist. Married women wear a fringe of hair, often curled, on either side of the face. Descending from the top of the head to the hem of the _piran_, leaving the face uncovered, is the gracefully-draped _chadar_--a large wrapping of finest muslin, filmy gauze, or delicately tinted chiffon. Black hair is in vogue among the belles of the harem; if their locks reveal any shade of fairness or show indications of turning grey the vain creatures, adopting the custom of their Western sisters, at once dye them. Like all their sex, too, they delight in jewellery and conspicuous ornaments, and a considerable portion of their savings is expended upon the purchase of necklaces, ear-rings and bracelets. All who can afford it wear flowers just above the right ear, while they also indulge in the use of cosmetics. Paint and powder, rouge for the lips and the blackening pencil for eyebrows and eyelashes are the adventitious aids to whatever natural charms they may possess.

Proud of their prepossessing qualities, the women of Afghanistan have exploited their charms so much that it was left to Habib Ullah to impose a check upon the increasing attractiveness of the street costume of the feminine portion of his subjects. One day, in the spring of 1903, to the unspeakable dismay of many pretty women and of all young girls, he issued orders, changing the white _burka_, which, although covering the head and figure and leaving a latticed insertion before the face, was in a measure attractive. Thereafter these white street robes were to be dyed kharki for Mahommedan women, red or mustard-yellow for Hindu women and slate colour for other women. Disobedience of this law was threatened with a fine of fifty rupees, while its requirements had to be fulfilled within fourteen days. Unhappily, by this change an attractive feature in the life of the city has disappeared, the lamentable hues enforced upon the poor ladies by the Amir’s edict emphasising the dirt and discomfort of the Kabul streets.

In Afghanistan, as in all Mahommedan countries, the women lead a very secluded life, seldom venturing into the streets. The conditions of their married life are unfortunate, since the religion of the Afghan permits him to possess four wives, while no restrictions are imposed upon the number of concubines that he may support. This law in regard to wives is broken at will; and, while plurality of wives may be conducive to the satisfaction of the husband, it is unnecessary to say that the practice is not in favour among the women, who, in this matter, incline their hearts after the customs of the West. Moreover, women are not the sole companions of their husbands, for in Afghanistan, as in most Oriental countries, the small, but comely, boy is the more frequent intimate of their masters. At Court and in the households of the several princes this characteristic feature of the East may be observed, the existence of these boys being accepted by the priests, who themselves indulge in this most peculiar vice.

[Illustration: A SAINT’S TOMB]

In spite of their position, women do contrive to play an important

## part in the life of the country and, in a measure, help to keep alive

many of the old superstitions of the people, while their passionate credulity no doubt exercises an influence over the feelings of their husbands. Their strongest superstition perhaps attaches to the potency of the frog as a love charm. Women, especially in the harem of the Amir where jealousy is supreme, resort constantly to this enchantment to improve their positions. The mode of procedure is as follows: two frogs are tied back to back. A black heart is then painted upon the bull frog, while the head of the cow is similarly ornamented. The pair are then baked alive and the remains reduced to powder, which, sprinkled upon some dear friend, is supposed to cause her to lose the favour of her husband and to give place to the rival. This spell is employed so frequently even among the lowest classes that there is probably no household in which recourse to it is not made every few days. In the harem of the palace the chief queen keeps a slave boy whose sole duty it is to provide the frogs necessary for the preparation. It is the invariable experience of native ladies, when calling upon the queen, to find that they have been surreptitiously powdered with it at the hands of some discreet attendant.

Another legend, implicitly accepted by the women of Afghanistan, is associated with the Lata Bund Davan or Rag Bound Pass. It ordains that they will have healthy children, and gain favour in the eyes of their lords, if they tie a piece of cloth to the bushes in the Rag Bound Pass. Certain prescribed prayers, of course, accompany the ceremony, the summit of the pass presenting an extraordinary aspect from the fluttering rags, and streamers of cotton, calico and cloth which have been secured there.

Among men a bullet which has been through a human body is valued very highly, the supernatural powers of such a charm finding immediate acceptance with the Amir. Whenever they are extracted from any patient in the Kabul hospitals, Habib Ullah secures possession of the coveted relic to the great grief of its owner who, equally with him, supports the view that such a bullet acts as a preservative of life. Unfortunately, complaint is fruitless; the man who would be bold enough to seek the restoration of his property might find himself condemned to imprisonment or execution.

There is little doubt that the gross superstition prevailing in the country is the direct effect of its religious bigotry. Afghanistan, if Turkey be excepted, is the most powerful Mahommedan country in the world, and religion exercises a deciding voice in its affairs. The real rulers of the people are the priests, whether the wise men who have made the pilgrimage to Mecca, or merely the wandering _fakirs_ whose fanatical tendencies are so easily aroused. The great division of the State lies between the two religious sects, the Sunni and the Shiah Mahommedans. In the main, Afghans are Sunni; while the Persians, the Hazaras, the Kizzilbashes of Kabul and the Turis of the Kurram border, are Shiahs. The Kafirs of Kafiristan are pagan. Between these two sects there exists an envenomed feud which is by no means confined to Afghanistan, similar contempt, and an equal undying hatred against the other, distinguishing the partisans of either sect wherever they may meet. In Afghanistan Habib Ullah is the leader of the Sunnis, but his power is purely nominal; the real leader is Nasr Ullah Khan. The Amir of Kabul recently requested the priesthood to pronounce formally upon the question as to what amount of tolerance should be shown to the Shiahs in Afghanistan. The decision formulated was that the Sunni religion was the one true Faith which should be recognised by his Highness as “King of Islam.” Accordingly all ceremonial observances of the Shiahs in Kabul have been stopped and similar action is likely to be taken elsewhere. It is seen, however, that the services of the Hindu colony cannot be dispensed with, as its leading members have a good deal to say in matters of finance and trade, while the Kizzilbashes (of Persian origin) are also a thrifty community in Kabul. It has therefore been ordered that their places of worship are to be 5 feet lower than the Sunni mosques, and existing buildings are to be altered accordingly. Since the Shiahs are not numerous enough to give any political trouble they will probably conform to the orders issued, which naturally met with the immediate approval of the Sunnis.

Ramasan, the period corresponding with our Lent, is very strictly observed. It continues throughout the Moslem world for one lunar month and in Kabul the Amir, his Court and his subjects deny themselves most strictly. Gun-fire at dawn--from which time no one is allowed to eat, to drink, or to smoke--gives the signal. It terminates at sunset, when just previous to evening gun-fire the activity round the provision stalls is tremendous, the spectacle of a vast concourse simultaneously preparing to eat anywhere and everywhere--in the palace, in the mansions of the wealthy, in the hovels of the poor, in the crowded street--no matter what any may be doing, as the signal breaks, being very singular. Between gun-fire at dusk and gun-fire at dawn two meals are partaken, after which the wise make day into night, retiring to their couches to wait for the hour when they prepare to feed again. The termination of the fast is celebrated by the firing of guns, general feasting and rejoicing, while the following day is observed as the Id--the great festival of the Mahommedan calendar. On this day the Amir and his Court proceed in full state to the Idgah Mosque, when prayers are celebrated by Nasr Ullah in person, the service being followed by a public Durbar held in the Salaam Khana where Habib Ullah meets his people.

Four days are annually set apart for religious celebrations in Afghanistan. These comprise two Id festivals, one immediately following Ramasan, the other two months and ten days later; the third, the Barat festival, takes place forty-five days before Ramasan. The fourth event is Nauroz or New Year which falls invariably upon March 21. Abdur Rahman created a fifth festival, observed upon 28th of Asad, in remembrance of the day when confirmation of his title “The Light of the Nation and Religion” was received from all the centres of Afghanistan.

Priestly influence in Afghanistan is anything but beneficial. The priests impose upon the credulity of the people, concealing their actual worthlessness by a continuous assumption of godliness which they do not really practise. Their power is opposed to foreign development, since any raising of the veil about the borders of Afghanistan would deal a grievous blow to their position. Habib Ullah is completely subjugated to their will, and his brother, Nasr Ullah Khan, imbibes his anti-foreign prejudices from their bigoted teachings. At once a curse and a power in the land, they are the most enduring menace to our influence which the country contains. As a religion Mahommedanism exacts constant adoration of the qualities of God. The word Allah in a variety of intonations, or the phrase “God knows,” recur without cessation to the lips of every devout follower of the Prophet. All correspondence of an official or private character also addresses itself in the first place to the Supreme Deity--letters beginning with the phrase “In the name of God” and closing with the farewell salutation, “With the will of God,” or “In the hands of God.” This peculiarity quite fails to arouse sentiments of very great depth among the great mass of the Afghans, although the western areas frequently develop a spirit of ghazidom, under pressure of which feeling and excitement become intense.

Religion is allied with the practice of medicine and the pursuit of learning in Afghanistan, although in respect of education no settled procedure has been adopted. Upon occasion Abdur Rahman gave expression to his intention of founding a native university in Kabul, and Habib Ullah in 1904 actually imported from India five Mahommedan graduates from Lahore College for the purpose of founding a college for the education of the sons of Afghan nobles. The plan raised the hostility of the priests and was abandoned. At present the Amir contemplates the erection of a military academy. Unhappily the roads round Kabul are paved with good intentions, and the educational system of Afghanistan has made no advance upon the native principle of oral teaching. There are no schools or colleges under European supervision similar to those which exist in other Eastern countries, and the young idea is only trained to read Persian, to quote extensively from the Koran, to write, to shoot and to ride. Nothing further is desired by the priests, since it is their aim to maintain their authority unimpaired by extraneous suggestion.

[Illustration: THE BALA HISSAR, KABUL]

The priests exert in a measure a two-fold power. In the villages of the countryside it is the local mullah who drives into the dull wits of his audience the rudiments of reading, writing, and religion. At the same time, in addition to teaching the countryside he professes to heal it, although attempts have been made from time to time to establish in Kabul European control in medical matters. But the Court is suspicious; and, while Abdur Rahman supported in theory the introduction of improved medical knowledge, enlisting in March 1889 Mr. J. A. Gray as his private surgeon, he was in practice opposed to its acceptance. Nevertheless, under the supervision of various distinguished people attempts have been made to instruct native doctors in the art of vaccination and in simple dispensing; while, in 1894, Miss Lillias Hamilton opened an hospital in Kabul. At their instigation, too, military hospitals, placed in the charge of native druggists who were familiarised with Western ideas, were started. Popular prejudices prevail so strongly in the capital, that no great success has attended these efforts, and the medical arrangements of Afghanistan have remained under the control of the native professors of the healing art, save for those spasmodic interruptions which have occurred when more competent authorities were summoned to Kabul from India by the Amir.

Miss Lillias Hamilton spent three years at the Court of Abdur Rahman, the cause of her becoming medical attendant to the Amir being somewhat curious. Abdur Rahman, observing the good effect that association with English gentlemen had on the men folk of his country, conceived the brilliant idea of providing an example for Afghan women by obtaining the presence of an English lady. On the announcement being made that a lady was required merely to be entertained as a visitor for six months at the Amir’s Court Miss Hamilton applied for the post, and was accepted. Her appointment as physician was due to the fact that the Amir fell ill during her visit, and wisely availed himself of the aid of the only qualified medical practitioner in the country. Miss Lillias Hamilton always described the late Amir as a man of simple mind, who was nevertheless possessed of a progressive spirit. On being asked why he entertained a friendly feeling towards Great Britain, the Amir said:

“If I were to tell you that it is because I love the British you would not believe me, so I will say that it is because it suits my policy. Russia is my geographical enemy, who would seize my country if she could, because it is on her route to a sunny sea and a fertile country from which she could get supplies, but I have nothing to fear from Great Britain.”

This charming and well-known physician relates several characteristic anecdotes of the late monarch, of which one is reproduced here. After an eclipse of the sun Abdur Rahman said to Miss Hamilton:

“You think yourself a clever woman, but you could not explain that phenomenon so simply that a child could understand it.”

Miss Hamilton assured him that she could, and proceeded to do so with the aid of a candle and an orange. In the evening when, according to his custom, Abdur Rahman held a reception, he told his people that they were all very stupid and that he was sure not one of them could explain the eclipse. Many wild suggestions were made, until the Amir attempted to give the demonstration that Miss Hamilton had shown him. Since she kindly came to his assistance it went off so successfully that the company were deeply impressed with the Amir’s wisdom.

Multitudes of ailing people flocked to Miss Hamilton for advice, some of them sleeping outside her hospital all night in order to be attended to the first thing in the morning. This lady doctor was also the first to introduce the Western system of vaccination into Afghanistan, where almost the greatest scourge is small-pox, and where the Amir does not allow conscientious objectors!

As one foreign physician has left Kabul and another has taken his place, the newcomer has found that the hospital buildings of his predecessor have become in the interval the premises of a school, a depôt for military stores, or have fallen altogether into ruin. The establishment which has served longest as an hospital was built for that purpose by Nasr Ullah Khan in compliment to Mrs. Daly, who was so long associated with Miss Hamilton as medical adviser to the harem. It contained 100 beds. This building is now a magazine for artillery stores, while a second, which filled a similar purpose under Dr. Gray, is now a school. During the eight years in which Mrs. Daly was engaged in medical work in Afghanistan she held the appointment of private physician to Abdur Rahman’s queen, Bibi Halima, besides filling the post of medical adviser to the Kabul Government. Mrs. Daly has stated that between three hundred to five hundred patients daily visited her, and that, while very interested in her work, she was sorely harassed by the unceasing espionage of which she was the very conscious victim. The high opinion which the Government of Afghanistan formed of Mrs. Daly’s services is aptly illustrated by a testimonial from Habib Ullah, which was presented to her in the autumn of 1902. It ran:

IN THE NAME OF GOD.

I myself certify that Mrs. Kate Daly ranks above all people in her zeal for the work and in her attendance to patients. I am pleased with her services, and the treatment of my two daughters; of the workmen in the factories that were so seriously injured, and of my subjects in general whom she treats from day to day.

HABIB ULLAH, _Amir of Afghanistan_.

_September 20, 1902._

In the following year, 1903, the European residents of Kabul subscribed through a committee of three to an expression of gratitude to Mrs. Daly in the following terms:

KABUL, _November 20, 1903_.

The European residents of Kabul have much pleasure in presenting this testimonial to Mrs. Kate Daly, as an expression of gratitude for the medical services rendered us and admiration of the successful medical and surgical work she has carried out during the past eight years,

## particularly during the epidemics of cholera, small-pox,

etc.; when her devotion to her work, self-denial, and untiring energy won her the respect of all here. She carries with her our sincere wishes for her future welfare and success.

FRANK A. MARTIN, Engineer to the Afghan Government. G. FLEISCHER, Manager of Arms Department H. M. The Amir’s Workshops. ERNEST T. THORNTON, Manager of Tanneries, Kabul.

There are several degrees of native “practitioners.” There is first the class who professes to dress wounds and ulcers, to set fractures and to probe for bullets. These men have no ability and very little real knowledge of their work. They are quite ignorant of anatomy. The mischief perpetrated by these “dressers,” as they are called, is equalled by the class who practise the art of surgery and are described as “barbers.” These men are specialists in the extraction of teeth, and in “bleeding”--a cure used equally for liver complaints, fevers, indigestion, rheumatism, and gout. In addition to these two there is a third expert, the oculist, who, like his colleagues in the previous classes, is entirely deficient in any knowledge of his work. These three medical authorities are distinct from the _hakims_, who practise as physicians simply. These latter do not use the knife or even have recourse to bleeding. Their principal method of treatment, which is without pathological relation to cause and effect and lacks recognition of the malady from which the sick may be suffering, is by the administration of purgatives, in the healing properties of which they place great faith. They provide for their own existence by preying upon the superstitions and credulity of the public. These four classes--dressers, barbers, oculists and _hakims_ are responsible for at least 70 per cent. of the annual death-roll of the city. From time to time, particularly under the _régime_ of Dr. Gray, energetic attempts were made to combat these evils; in place of these so-called curative remedies, courses of elementary instruction in the art of medicine, in the science of physiology and in anatomy were suggested. These schemes were entirely fruitless and aroused an actively hostile and violent propaganda, which was directed against the foreign physicians.

[Illustration: REMAINS OF THE ROBERTS BASTION AT SHIRPUR]

Unfortunately, ministrations of European medical officers in Kabul are handicapped very seriously by the injudicious liberty of practice which is allowed to any wandering hospital assistant who, after a few months’ casual acquaintance with some Indian hospital, sets up in the Afghan capital. These men, in whom a little learning is as dangerous as the more complete ignorance of the Afghan self-appointed leech, use foreign medicines without distinguishing the properties of the several ingredients. It is not to be supposed that the Afghan doctor fails to make capital out of the repeated failures of the Hindustani quack; and, as the _hakim_ finds his patients among the better classes of the residents, the prejudice, emanating from his unceasing denunciation of the methods of foreign practitioners, is stronger among the upper ranks of Kabul society than among the very poor. It is, indeed, among the latter that lively appreciation of the skill and experience of the foreign physicians is found. The ignorant, ill-kempt Afghan, tempted by the promise of free rations and treatment, has sufficient raw intelligence to discard the remedies of his own doctors and to consult the foreigner, even, upon occasion, placing such faith in him that he will swallow a week’s medicine in a single draught.

The most recent medical attendant to the Amir is Major Cleveland, one of the leading authorities of his rank in India, and selected specially for service in Afghanistan by the Government of India at the direct invitation of Habib Ullah. A more suitable candidate for the post it would be difficult to find. Aside from his wide experience of natives, he is a distinguished linguist, speaking French, German, Persian, Pushtu and Hindustani with fluency. It may be added, too, that modesty is his most distinguishing characteristic and that he knows nothing of this reference to his abilities. The full list of those whose medical services have been retained by the Amir from time to time is as follows: Mr. O’Meara, dentist, 1887; Mr. J. A. Gray, surgeon, 1889; Miss Lillias Hamilton, physician, 1894; Mrs. K. Daly, who, in 1895, accompanied Miss Hamilton as assistant when that lady returned to Kabul with Nasr Ullah Khan, after his visit to England; Major Cleveland, who took up the duties of physician to the Amir in 1904, and the Misses Brown, who, in 1904, replaced Mrs. Daly. In addition to these there have been numerous technical advisers: Sir Salter Pyne, Sir Acquin Martin, Monsieur Jerome, Messrs. McDermot, Cameron, Thornton, Clements, Fleischer, Middleton, Stewart, Walter, Grant, Donovan, Edwards, Tasker, Riches, F. Martin, Finlayson and others who, each and every one, have added to the dignity and prestige of the white races in Afghanistan by their devoted and unceasing service at the Court of the Amir. Their duties have not always been rewarded, and at certain times the Amir has done without the services of any European medical adviser. In this direction Major Cleveland followed upon Dr. Gray, but the interval, which was a wide one, was filled by Miss Hamilton and, at a later date, by Mrs. Daly. Further gaps ensued when the retirement of Mrs. Daly followed the withdrawal of Miss Hamilton, who now has set up in practice in this country. In the interval Abdur Rahman entrusted his health to the scanty knowledge of an Indian hospital assistant, whose ignorance was as profound as the superstitions of the Amir and his successor were unyielding. The crisis came with the injury to Habib Ullah’s hand: it was because of the speedy relief which Major Bird brought to the august sufferer that the Amir reconsidered his absurd objections and applied to Lord Curzon for the services of two lady doctors, in addition to those of a physician.

This subject has always received close consideration at the hands of the Government of India, and there should not be any insuperable difficulties in the way of arranging that an Indian medical staff should be permanently established in Kabul. A doctor is practically always safe, even among the most fanatical tribes beyond our border-line. A few successful operations, even though they are of the simplest order, make him the friend of the people. His fame rapidly spreads and patients come from long distances to visit him. No one dare interfere with him, and not even the jealousy of the local _hakims_ can render his position altogether precarious. In a big city like Kabul, the headquarters of the Afghan Court, the conditions are somewhat different. Admittedly Doctor Gray, who was physician to Abdur Rahman for several years, had no easy task to discharge. His experiences show that he was often driven to the verge of exasperation by the intrigues of his native rivals. But a Court physician in a semi-civilised country will always have his detractors and he can only confound them by pointing to the success gained by his treatment. In future if any medical mission were stationed in Kabul they should not be attached to the personal retinue of the Amir, but should have their headquarters in a public hospital, which his Highness should provide for them and all classes of the people should be able to avail themselves of their knowledge and skill. Their time should not be wasted by frequent summonses to the palace at all hours of the day and night, with the inevitable long delays in ante-rooms; they should rather be busily engaged with the common run of patients of whom there would certainly be no lack. There is a very wide field open for the skilled surgeon, and if the Amir is in earnest in desiring the services of medical officers in his capital, they might ultimately be welcomed by every class of the population.

The Europeans, who have found employment in the service of Afghanistan, have belonged to many trades. The majority, in some way or another associated with the Ordnance Department of the Amir’s Government, have supervised the different branches of the magnificent arsenal with which the late Amir equipped his capital. Lately, there have been difficulties over the fuel question, the great demands for fuel made by the works having caused a fuel famine in the Kabul district. Habib Ullah proposes to surmount this problem by developing certain coal deposits which have been located in Afghan Turkestan, and through an electric power installation for the workshops. Tentative attempts in this direction have been in hand since 1903, when the fuel bill was represented by eight lakhs of Kabuli rupees. Snider and Martini rifles; Hotchkiss, Gatling and field guns; swords, sabres and knives; ammunition; transport carts; bits, bridles and saddles; boots and uniforms, are all turned out from the Kabul works, twenty-five rifles per diem, two guns and 20,000 rounds of Martini ammunition per week being the estimated capacity of the factories. The workshops, the growth of the first fifteen years of Abdur Rahman’s reign, were due solely to the initiative of the late Amir, assisted by Sir Salter Pyne. This well-known engineer was personally responsible for their introduction, besides doing much to familiarise the Afghans with the mechanical implements and improvements of the West. As the result of these efforts the workshops now occupy an extensive range of buildings, situated outside the town on the banks of the Kabul river, where 1500 natives under the superintendence of 100 Hindu artificers, who have been trained in the factories and workshops of India, are daily employed. The mint where the plant possesses a possible output of 20,000 coins per day, the tanning yards, the candle factory where 100,000 candles can be turned out weekly, and the soap works where ten tons of soap can be made up in the same period, are all located in buildings adjoining the Ordnance compound.

With the exception of the tanning yards and the leather factory, where 300,000 stands of infantry equipment were put in hand during 1904-1905, no great activity has distinguished these various enterprises during the last three years, a general stoppage of work having been caused in all branches by the extreme scarcity of the wood supplies. In spite of the output of ammunition having ceased, the traffic in Kabul-made ammunition is encouraged by the authorities, practically unlimited supplies for Martini and Snider rifles being easily purchased by the natives. The price is only four annas per cartridge, so that a fairly large amount can be obtained at small expense. As such cartridges command a price varying from eight to twelve annas in the tribal country the outlay of money in Kabul is quite a profitable investment. The supply of Martini ammunition has become most difficult to obtain since the Indian Army was given the ̇303 rifle, and orders were issued regarding the return of empty cases to the Ordnance Department; but with the vast supplies stored in Kabul the tribesmen can get almost as much ammunition as they want. The late Abdur Rahman punished with the greatest severity any one found trafficking in rifles and cartridges, for he held that it was dangerous to let the tribes become well armed. Habib Ullah’s departure from the Amir Abdur Rahman’s policy is exceedingly foolish, although characteristic of Habib Ullah’s weak and undecided rule. It should be noted, too, since supplies of ammunition in Kabul are so readily forthcoming, that there has been a revival in the profitable trade of rifle-selling on the frontier. A large number of English Martinis, both rifles and carbines, have lately been imported into Afghanistan from the Persian Gulf. Very many of these have found their way into the tribal country on the North-west frontier of India, the price being only Rs. 180, or less than half the sum that was usually paid by tribesmen for a Martini before the ̇303 rifle was issued to troops in India. The weapons are well made and all bear the inscription “Ma-sha-Illah” in Arabic. It is surmised that they have been sent through in some way from Turkey, possibly _viâ_ Baghdad, and were originally intended for the Central Asian khanates. The Government of India is not concerned with this phase of the affair, but it is a somewhat serious matter that the tribesmen in the Pathan hinterland beyond the Indian frontier should be able to obtain breechloaders so cheaply. The Martini had fallen into disrepute owing to the difficulty of obtaining ammunition, but now that it is possible to draw so readily upon the Amir’s reserves the situation should be watched, since tribesmen, who pay Rs. 600 or Rs. 700 for ̇303 rifles and can get Martinis at Rs. 180 each, will have plenty of money to spare for cartridges.

[Illustration: BAZAAR CHILDREN]

While mention has been already made of those Europeans who have passed through Kabul in the service of the Court, there are two others who, by the folly of their conduct, have trailed the reputation of the white races through the filth of the Kabul bazaars. These two, the one, Frau Liebertziet, a German woman with a family in Germany, and for some time maid to Mrs. Fleischer, the other an English woman, have permitted their passions to thrust them beyond the limits of decency. Frau Liebertziet left behind in Kabul to attend to Mr. Fleischer’s wants when Mrs. Fleischer went on leave to Europe, turned native, adopted the Mahommedan faith and petitioned the Amir to be given a husband. The Afghans themselves refused the lady and Habib Ullah would not allow any Hindustani to marry her. In the end he provided her with a Kaffir boy who had been converted to Islamism. The English woman, having contracted an alliance in India with an Afghan camel-man, disguised herself as a native woman and crossed the frontier riding her husband’s camel. Her arrival in Kabul quickened the curiosity of every native in the bazaar, raising a sensation which brought the story very speedily to the ears of Habib Ullah. Unfortunately, to an ignorance of all European languages saving her own, she added but a meagre acquaintanceship with the tongues of Asia; as a consequence, when summoned to the presence of the Amir she was literally speechless. Habib Ullah sent for the German woman to speak with the English woman from India, but communion was impossible as each was ignorant of the other’s tongue. Indeed, it was not until Mrs. Cleveland, the wife of Major Cleveland, arrived in Kabul with her husband, coming at the same time as the Misses Brown, that any explanation was forthcoming. It may be said here that, in both cases, the Amir endeavoured to induce the women to return to India: unluckily, each was obdurate, and the pair have been converted to Islamism taking up their residence in the hovels of the Kabul bazaar, where, enclosed from the world, they endure an existence the sordid tragedy of which forbids more detailed description. For the benefit of those women in this country whose delight it is to associate with coloured blood--whether it flows in the veins of negroes from Africa, of natives from Egypt, or of princes and students from India--one is constrained to remark that their lives are a degradation and their conduct an infamy. So long as they transgress racial limitations they should be properly regarded as beyond the pale.

[42] “At the Court of the Amir.” Dr. A. T. Gray.

[43] “Eight Years among the Afghans,” Mrs. Kate Daly.

[Illustration: IN THE KHYBER PASS]

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