Page:The Moslem World - Volume 02.djvu/147

 which fabulous tales of his hospitality are related. Another very popular place of pilgrimage is that of Pir Baba, in Buner.

The reader will have anticipated that all Christian missions for the Afghans have their headquarters in British India. Among the independent tribes the missionaries have itinerated but never resided. Into Afghanistan itself they have never penetrated. Two slight exceptions might be made to the last statement. As long ago as 1832, that remarkable and eccentric traveller-missionary, Dr. Joseph Wolf, traversed Afghanistan, and was well received in Kabul by the Amir, and here he preached in the bazaar, wearing, as was his wont on such occasions, his surplice and hood. This is probably the onl}' occasion on which a Christian missionary has ever preached in the bazaar of Kabul. After the war of 1839-40, the attitude of the Afghan people towards the British, and strangers in general, underwent a great change, and whereas before that war they were politely if not cordially received, afterwards it was as much as any man's life was worth to enter Afghanistan, whether in disguise or not.

The second exception was in the war of 1879-80, when a missionary, the Rev. G. M. Gordon, went to Kandahar as chaplain of the forces, and while there conversed and disputed with the priests and people. He hoped to start mission work there, but was killed while gallantly ministering to a soldier who had fallen wounded in a sortie. During this same war, the Indian pastor of Peshawar, the Rev. Imam Shah, travelled up to Kabul and ministered to the small Armenian congregation at that time residing there.

At the present time, the Church Missionary Society has large and well equipped missions at Peshawar, Bamiu, Dera Ismail Khan and Quetta, and branch stations at Akora, Charsadda, Thai, Karak, Shekh Mahmud, Darra Tang, Tank, Dadar, Shikarpur, Mastung and Chaman. The Central Asian Mission has work at Mardan in the Peshawar district. The work is educational, medical, zenana, itineration and bazaar preaching. There are mission high schools at Peshawar, Bannu and