him at once, in January, when he first invaded the country, instead of months later, in April ? With all their organization and rapid means of communication, their telegraphs, railways, and roads, Government, as the Chitralis think, ought to be more, not less, prompt in decision and rapid in action than themselves ; and it is not to be wondered at, therefore, that they fret and chafe under the indecisive answers which British officers often have to give them, and that they sometimes go running off with the bit between their teeth.
Fuller knowledge modified my first impression of the character of the Chitralis. On first entering the country in the depth of winter, and when the people were panting after the recent struggles for the Mehtarship, I found them, as I have already stated, anything but attractive. They then had a gloomy, depressed appearance, which repelled one from them, and it was not till the spring and summer came on that they showed any brightness at all. But I saw them at their best, and, as I believe, in their natural state, in the autumn of 1893, when I went for a tour through the country with the Mehtar. I then took no escort with me, and travelled with him more as a private guest than as a Government official. We rode along together the whole of each march, which, with halts for hawking, occupied the entire day, and in the evenings, after I had had my dinner, the Mehtar would come to my tent and talk sometimes till midnight. The Mehtar was accompanied by a large number of followers, and was met at each village by every man in it ; in the country, moreover, much of the formality and etiquette of the capital wore off, and I was able to see the ruler and his people in their natural life.
The Mehtar was on this occasion in the very best of spirits. No man could more thoroughly enjoy himself than Nizam-ulMulk. He had little courage or strength of character, but he at any rate knew how to enjoy life, and I picture him now
IIIF Color HighRes
