Scenes and Adventures in Affghanistan

by William Taylor

Early on the morning of the fifth day, we arrived at Tattah, a place of considerable antiquity, and, I believe, mentioned in Holy Writ. The Indus formerly washed the walls of this town, but owing to some natural or artificial ingredient the course of the river has been completely changed, and it now runs at about four miles distance.

Emerging from one of the most barren and desolate tracts of country that it is possible to imagine, even the tombs of Tattah, or City of the Dead, as it is called in the language of the natives, proved an agreeable distraction to us. Tattah itself is a small, wretchedly built town, containing little more than a thousand inhabitants, who are for the most part of the Moslem religion. The few Hindoos who reside here constitute the wealthier part of the trading community, but influential as this fact would pre-suppose them, they are a persecuted and oppressed race, the privilege of erecting places of worship within the precincts of the town being not only denied them, but even the free exercise of their religious rites. Aggressions of the most wanton and tyrannical nature, and murders committed under circumstances of the most shocking barbarity, and having their origin solely in religious jealousy, are matters of no unfrequent occurrence here.

The Hindoos are consequently obliged to resort to the caves of the neighbouring mountains, to practise their religious ceremonies, but the relentless intolerance of their persecutors pursues them even there. During our short stay we saw the bodies of two of the proscribed race, who had been found murdered in one of their concealed temples.

The tombs of Tattah stand on a gentle eminence, at a short distance from the town: they are of circular construction, and are, as nearly as I could judge, from seventy to eighty feet in circumference, and from thirty to forty feet in height. They are capped with domes, but their external appearance presents nothing graceful or ornamental to the eye. The interior is gained by a staircase, which ascends to an aperture forming the entrance, about midway in the building, and a rudely constructed ladder conducts the visitor downward to the basement, where the bodies lie. The interior of the dome is lined with blue tiles richly ornamented with arabesques and inscriptions from the Koran. There are about a dozen of these remarkable monuments and they are clustered together, without arrangement or regard for effect. Of the many sketches taken at the time I have not seen one which conveys a correct idea of their details. Although visited by nearly the whole of the troops, it is a fact highly creditable to their good taste and feeling that no mischief or desecration of any sort was committed. Sir John Keane, in a general order issued before our departure, took occasion expressly to allude to this circumstance, in terms alike honourable to himself and to us.

A curious, and I must say revolting, instance of the gross superstition of the Hindoos fell under my observation whilst at Tattah. At the northern extremity of the bazaar I was shown some of the most miserable specimens of humanity that can well be imagined. In a filthy mud hut, the very aspect of which threatened contagion, sat two living skeletons rocking themselves to and fro. They were without covering of any sort, except the old blanket on which they sat, and their deep sunk eyes and contracted features told a tale of long but patiently endured privation. I was informed that these poor wretches were undergoing a self-inflicted penance, for the non-performance of some religious rite. They had condemned themselves for a period of seven years to a daily allowance of rice and water, barely sufficient to prevent the extinction of the vital powers. We offered them food, but they sternly rejected it. This lamentable fanaticism on the part of a simple and inoffensive people is, after all, but another and more harmless phase of the fierce bigotry, which still continues to exist amongst European nations.

A dâk, or native postman, who had crossed the river from Bhooj with letters for the camp, was waylaid by two Belochees as he was descending towards it, by the left bank, and the letter bag taken from him. His captors, having brought him to their retreat in the hills, secured his hands behind his back, and lay down to sleep, one of them using the letter bag as a pillow. The dâk remained quiet, until their snoring satisfied him they were sound asleep, and then slipping his hands out of the ligatures, he stole over to the fellow who had the post-bag under him, and placing his knee on his breast, cut his throat from ear to ear with a knife, which he took from the mountaineer's person, and made off with the bag. In about ten minutes after, he heard the Belochee close upon his heels, and, redoubling his speed, a chase of nearly ten miles ensued, in the course of which, the poor fellow had two or three times nearly yielded from fatigue. The dreadful fate which awaited him, should he fall into his pursuer's hands, flashed however across his mind, and plucking up fresh strength and courage, he at length succeeded in reaching the camp, but in so weak and exhausted a state that nature was near sinking under the effort.

On the eve of our departure, a circumstance occurred which created a very angry feeling between the inhabitants and the troops, and occasioned much regret to the Commander-in-Chief, who was desirous that our advance should not be marked by any thing which savoured of cruelty. In consequence of the great increase of drunkenness amongst the European troops, owing to the cheapness and abundance of liquor, strict orders were issued against its being allowed into camp. One of the inhabitants of Tattah, who was engaged in smuggling the prohibited article, was stopped about dusk by a serjeant, who happened to be going his rounds. The fellow took to his heels, and a sepoy, who was stationed as sentry in the staff lines, mistaking him for a thief, and seeing him pass at a speed which rendered capture out of the question, levelled his musket, and shot him dead on the spot. He was a fine muscular fellow, about two or three and twenty, and belonged to a respectable family in the town. His friends immediately repaired to the scene in a numerous body, and carried him off amidst the wailing and lamentation of the women. After this it was considered dangerous for any of us to venture into the town when nightfall had set in.

The army was now ordered to advance upon Jurruk, a town situated on the banks of the Indus, at about a day's march from Tattah. It is better built and cleaner than the latter place, and some of the streets are covered over with thatched roofs, forming a series of rude arcades, illuminated by oil lamps. Opthalmia is a common disease amongst the natives, and several of the troops were attacked by it. Some of us also suffered severely from the guinea worm, a malady, common in some parts of Hindostan, and which, although not considered dangerous, is attended with great pain. It generally attacks the feet, and has the effect of effectually crippling the patient for the time. I have had one drawn out of my right foot, which measured nearly half a yard in length, and I have known others to have had no less than from seven to eight of them at once. It being impossible for persons thus affected to march on foot or even to mount on horseback, they were usually carried along with the army in kajarvees, a sort of double-chair strung across the back of a camel, and swinging with a see-saw movement that occasioned no small additional suffering to the unfortunate occupant.

The spot selected for the encampment was extremely lovely, being encircled by hills, and having the River Indus running on its right. As the different regiments wound their way round the heights, and descended into the plain where the tents were to be pitched, the scene would have made a beautiful subject for a sketch. How often during a progress through this wild and romantic country have I regretted the want of a sufficient acquaintance with the art of design, to enable me to convey to paper some of its more striking and characteristic features.

In consequence of the numerous thefts committed by the Belochees, who daily carried off numbers of our camels, it became necessary to provide them with guards whilst at pasturage. This, however, did not prevent the plunderers from continuing their descents, and they became so hardy that they sometimes even ventured to attack or carry off the guards themselves. One day, whilst a party of the Poona Auxiliary Horse were in charge of some camels about two miles from camp, the Belochees came suddenly upon them. There were only six of our men, whilst the enemy numbered twelve or fifteen. Nothing daunted, however, a gallant fellow dashed out from amongst our men, and cut down three or four of the marauders. Being quickly seconded by the others, the Belochees took to flight, and the black hero dismounted, and cutting off the head of one of his dead antagonists, strung it by the hair to his crupper, and triumphantly rode into camp with it, amidst the acclamations of his comrades. A more substantial reward was conferred upon him for this daring exploit a few days afterwards by his promotion to the rank of havildar or serjeant. This may be said to have been the first occasion on which any of our troops came into actual collision with the enemy, but the example which was made had little or no effect in restraining the thefts of the Belochees who appeared to have an incorrigible taste for this sort of adventure.