ANCIENT BOOK.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIV, Issue 62, 15 March 1933, Page 5

ANCIENT BOOK.

WRITTEN IN PUSHTU. FRQ{/I NORTH-WEST INDIA. FOUND HIDDEN IN HOUSE. The history of an ancient book, handwritten in the Pushtu dialect, stained, patched and torn, which he had picked up in India, was told this morning by an old soldier, who has long since retired from the British Army, Mr. W. Chapman, of Swanson.

Mr. Chapman has had the book since 1897, and his curiosity was aroused recently when a lecturer on India asked for questions. Mr. Chapman wrote about his old manuscript, and it wa3 suggested that he should have it photographed in the hope that someone might see the illustration and know something about it.

In 1887, lie said, he > joined "The Queen's" infantry regiment, which was posted to India. Ten years later he took part in an expedition by that and other regiments, to quell a "Jehad" or lioly war, on the North-West Frontier. "The expedition was a particularly large one," he said, "the whole frontier being aflame. The British took steps which they thought would settle matters for a time." His regiment went through Tirah, one of the provinces between India and Afghanistan; and in a village named Bagh he found the book. "We were told that the name of the village was Bagh," said ifcr. Chapman, "but as a matter of fact I believe that the word means some sort of holy place. I know we were given special instructions not to burn any building, but we had to search the houses for hidden arms, because if we didn't the tribesmen would pretend they were friendly."

In the course of his search, Mr. Chapman entered the largest house in the place, one of the largest, in fact, he had seen in" any native village. Hidden away up in the rafters —there were no ceilings to the houses —he found the book, wrapped in an envelope of native cloth, and tied with tape. It was some 9in long, Sin. wide, and thick. 3-he

leaves were brown with ?ge, sta.ned with what looked like water, and torn on the edges. The original binding had been leather, but it had been so often mended with some sort of canvas, that the leather was not very apparent. The contents of the book were in the Pushtu dialect, and were done by hand. Even to the layman the characters seemed carefully, even artistically done. Someone had evidently prized it, and thought it worth mending. Mr. Chapman does not know what it is; he does not understand the language at all.

For the sake of convenience of carriage he gave the book to the cooking transport. It was returned to him when he wished, and he has had it ever since.