JAN KAZILBASH.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 12966, 20 November 1907, Page 5

JAN KAZILBASH.

—. « This happened ■when Sir Francis Jenkins was colonel of tho Guides. During one, of tho expeditions which :ire sent out annually for the purpose of smoking the worst of the marauders out of the frontier, tho men in khaki with scarlet facings and the blue puggarees made a turning movement and dropped as if from heaven into tho Khyber, in rear of Ali Musjia. Meantime a frontal attack was being developed and when that was diiven home tho Afghan cavalry came homeward with tho white cavalry behind them. And on their arrival at a certain point they found the Guides in front of them. As tho first batch came up and found themselves surrounded, they charged, and with great loss got through. ■> As the shock of battle, tho powder smoke and th© dust had died away, the ground was seen to be strown •with rk-ad and dying Afghans to whom Kismet had beon unkind. The body which had got through was already far off, and, far to their rear walked on© maji. ouietly walking 1m horse and waving his sword in scorn in scorn of the fire from 80) rifles. ''Bugler, sound the 'cease firing.'" commanded Sir Francis Jenkins, and the. «ommand executed, the colonel himself rodo out to the fugitive whe

! calmly aivaitwl him, and asked him: | I •"Wlio are you ?" j 'I am Sultan Jan Kasilbash. and ( I I don't care a rap for yon and tho : I whole of your army." j -You arc a devil of a Draw fel- ; . ; low, anyway. Will you enlist in my j rccimont ?"' " , . I •Yes. that I will, for I havo heard ; of vo-.i and tho Guide© as bravo col- ! diers." ' "1 think more of bravery than of ; j the drill book. You are enlisted and j ! I promote you duffadar." ■ ' 1 1 A rear atter, tho campaign in J J -which* Jan Kazilbnsh served -with dis- : ti net ion -was finished and he went to : I Sir Francis. • ! I "Sir.' ho said, "now the -war v? over j T -want my disoharpo, as I do not care \ j tor soldiering in peace.'' ■You are a sportsman, Duffadar Jan | I Kazilbash. Do you oaro to take up an- ■ ; other job?'-' ■ I j -Ami that job is, sir? - ' ■ ' I -1 hare been asked to supply a man ' j I who will gn up to Umbeyla as a spy. j I Will you go?" . i j j ••That i.4 a great sport wherein one j takr\s one's life in one's hand. It may Ibo I shall have to do something which , jis below a soldier. Nevertheless one ■ | i must always pay for sport. 1 will £o, ' sir.*' , ' J 1 do not think there are many people | j who still remember the Umbeyla cam- I paign, when the expedition was bottled j !up in Tmbeyla l'assr which is nine , ! j miles loim. ! I The tribes were up in front of them, i \ j The cxjwlition sat down to wait tor i j reinforcements, which soon came, but ( ! not for the expedition ; on the contrary. ] j they consisted or' 1-3,000 fanatics, lc;! ■ jby "the Akhund of fciwat. and they came , i up to reinforce the tribes. * ; ' Now wo come to the part which ' Lieut-eunnt Williamson, of tho Forapu- i dours. playocl in this. ] Lieutenant Williamson's company was netitip as escort to a mountain battery, and that battery was moved into position to cover the retreat of ' the rearguard up a pass which is worse ; than the Khyber. It took a long time j and the battery could not limber up j till sunset. Lieutenant Williamson's company j was on a knoll, covering the battery';, t left flank. The darkness came on quick- j ly as it does in those places, and at j length the bugle was heard sounding ■ the signal to retreat. i ''Why the blooming rearguard must j have passed us in tho dark/ growlri j one of the old soldiers loud enough for the captain to hear him. "Silenoe in the ranks,"' oame the | stern command, 'retreat in fours from i the right of the company! Off go, you t leading four!" By four at a time the men were sent | back, the captain hoping to get them j clear beforo the enemy were alive to | the uncovered condition of the com- i pany. \\hen eight men only wore left the captain gave the four most active | X) J jleU mu nant "* V ''' ia mson to withdraw last. The men were worn out by a hard days work, and for thre« nights they had no sleep or kits. The two officers were in the rear of the company trying to get tho men up the hill, when they heard yells and saw the enemy was close behind "Turn about, and fire/ shouted .the captain. 3 Lieutenant Williamson ran forward to take the order, but as he did so ho stumbled and fell down the ravine. In a flash four of the enemy were on him. On© shot him through the arm, another fired at his head and the bu let grazed his temple, making him fall to the ground unconscious and bleeding. When ho came to himself, his captors had stripped him to the shirt and were quarrelling over his clothes. They threatened him by signa that if he tried to escape they would shoot him, and helpless, he was carried past many campfires to the headquarters of the Akhund of Swat. There they found an Afridi who had been a Sowar in the Bengal cavalry, and by his intercession the lieutenant's clothes were restored to him. They.all, sat around a campfire and talked about old days, and the Sowar : told glowing tales from, the time, he served in the Bengal cavalry. 1 "But wihy did you leave when you were so happy P" Lieutenant William* > son asked. "I served for two years," said the Sowar, "till the war was over. Then ; I went to my colonel and said, 'Sir, I , am a man who loves war, but who cannot face the monotony of drilling in timo of peace, and with your highneas's ; permission I now want my discharge. \ But if I had known this war was to' come I would have stood the monotony for a little while." "Is it ■ monotonous?" asked a long lean man, who was toasting his toes at tho fire. "You ought to know, brother," the Bengal Sowar replied. "And why so, brother?" "Because, if I am not much mistaken, you havo sorved the Raj." "It may be so, my brother. Ido not care to contradict you. All lives are good to him who knows haw to lead them." "Especially the soldier's," said Lieutenant Williamson. "It is true," said the tall man, as he turned on his elbows to speak easily to the lieutenant. "And glory is good; often death is good when it is glorious. To die a braive man is better than to live a coward, but best of all is to live a brave man. Is it not so, brother?" "It is so," said Lieutenant Williamson, "but have you truly 6erved the Raj." "I 6ervo the Raj now," siid the long lean man quietly. "You aro, to "So lulled to-morrow, for many of theirs have fallen. When I call, come to mo. With mc you may go anywhere, each of these takes mc to be the conirado of another." With that the long lean man arose slowly and lounged into the twilight of the fire. Before he disappeared entirely in the darkness ho cried: "Oh, your highness!" "What do you want," the lieutemnt asked, rising and following tho long lean man. "Come to the horses." And they weut to a knot of horses, tethered by headstalls, selected two and rode slowly in tho direction of the pass. Tho camp was mostly asleep. Tho very slowness md deliberation of tho pace prevented all who saw them from questioning their movements. Passers-by, when they could see anything at all, saw but a long, lean man of tho religion in charge of a white prisoner. They were almost out of danger when all at once they saw in front of them an old white-clothed sultan with the. greeu turban of Mecca. This man. quick as thought, turned his horse to rido them down, but tho long, 1 lean man raised his rifle and shot the old man through the chest. "Now you must rido." he said. And '■ followed by the lieutenant he spurred his horse on towards the British camp and never was Lieutenant Williamson more pleased to hear his own language than when the first sentry charging bayonet cried out: ''"Who goes there?" 1 "I was sorry, your highness," said the long, leau man afterward, "to have 1 to kill the old man. He was a good father to mc." "Your father?"' cried, the lieutenant, 1 horrified. 'Tea. my father. Knowing his way, I was forced to shoot him on sight, lie was a very good father. None but a | good father could have brought up Jan , Kazilbash."