TROUBLE WITH ABDUL KHALIK. 107
provisions for the journey. The point of the grievance was that the caravan bashi had been unable to make such illicit gains as he professed to have made when in the service of others, whom, according to his own shewing he had defrauded of forty or fifty rupees a day. Khalik's ways were now clearly intolerable, and a few hours after we had reached Gilgit, he was safely housed in gaol on a charge of robbery and fraud. This incident was in itself
ARREST OF ABDUL KHALIK.
exceedingly disagreeable, and it marred my enjoyment of the otherwise cheerful conditions of my stay at Gilgit. The Wazir, or native Governor, Mohammed Akbar Khan, was well acquainted with Khalik's antecedents, but nevertheless devoted the best part of three days in a painstaking and impartial investigation of the charges now brought against him. The result was the prisoner was convicted and condemned to twelve months' imprisonment with
IIIF Color HighRes
