Page:The People of India — a series of photographic illustrations, with descriptive letterpress, of the races and tribes of Hindustan Vol 5.djvu/159

GENERAL SKETCH OF THE FRONTIER AFGHAN TRIBES. station is Peshawur, in the centre of the line of frontier, where at least 10,000 regular British troops are cantoned; and the stations of Hazara, Kohat, Dehra Ismael Khan, and Dehra Ghazee Khan, make up the rest, supplying men for intermediate posts of communication. These forces, too, it will be remembered, are supported by the other forces of the Punjab within easy distance; so that the complete defence of the frontier is fully maintained against any attempt at disturbance or invasion, were either, under any conditions, possible or probable, by the whole of the frontier tribes of Afghanistan. On no occasion, except the operations on the Black mountain against the fanatics of Mullca and Sittana, have more than 3,700 British troops been employed against any tribe, and have quite sufficed for the purpose; and it was only in the expedition against the Afreedees, in 1850, and the Meeranzyes, in 1855, that in the former 3,200, and in the latter 3,700 troops took the field. In thirteen other affahs the number of troops varied from 700 to 2,800, and in every instance were successful.

The following extracts from a report by Major Reynell G. Taylor, of a very interesting character in relation to the frontier tribes of the Dehra lsmael Khan district, may be held fairly applicable to all. His remarks refer more particularly to the Wuzeerees, v/hose force of fighting men is estimated at 20,000 men.

"I can only say (without referring to other tribes in other quarters, the men of which have shown apparently a more determined feeling of hostility towards us), that as far as the Wuzeerees, a very powerful clan enjoying among all Afghans a high character for courage, are concerned, though they possess power of combination and unanimous action superior to those of other tribes, together with innumerable advantages of position, &:c., they are still only formidable as warriors where intimate knowledge of local advantages afforded by ground for fighting or retreat gives them confidence; and also that the efforts they have hitherto made at war on anything like a grand scale have failed most signally. The first being, I believe, that, though they have the bravery to make spirited attacks, they have not the constancy to sustain their efforts after a first unsuccessful attempt, and, therefore, that careful precautions and good defensive arrangements will always keep then fairly at bay, while, at the same time, I would strongly deprecate their ever being driven to try their worst."

The whole of Major Taylors report, and especially the means which he details of managing the Afghan tribes, as well by unswerving firmness as by conciliation, encouraging them to cultivate British lands, and trade in our market towns and cities, are well worth extract, were it possible to afford the space; but his concluding remarks upon the Wuzeerees, as applying to most, if not all, of the others, cannot be resisted. He writes—

"I should first remark that I have a considerable respect and liking for the Wuzeeree character, the distinguishing features of which are much what they were