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The heart of a continent : vol.1 |
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a gateway in the tower. It would have been impossible to
effect an entrance if the Kanjutis chose to be hostile, for even
if they did not fire at us, they could have annihilated us by
hurling down stones. I thought, therefore, that my best plan
would be not to commit my whole party to such a risk, but to
go on with an interpreter, and leave the Gurkhas on the top
of the cliff on our side of the ravine, to cover the retreat in case
the Kanjutis proved hostile. Having made these dispositions,
I set off down into the ravine accompanied by Ramzan, the
interpreter, and Shahzad Mir, the orderly, who spoke Persian.
We had not gone very far, when the Gurkha naik came running
after us and said that at Shahidula I had promised that he
should be allowed to go first. The reader will remember that
the timid Kirghiz had prophesied that whoever should appear
first before this Kanjuti outpost would certainly be killed, and
I had in chaff said to the Gurkha naik that he should be sent
on first, and now, taking my word seriously, he had claimed
this as a privilege.
We had descended to the bottom of the ravine, and climbed
halfway up the opposite bank. The door through the tower
was still open, and no one could be seen about, when suddenly
the door was banged, the wall was manned by wild-looking
Kanjutis, shouting and waving us back, and pointing their
matchlocks at us. We were not fifty feet from them, and I
expected at any moment to have bullets and stones whizzing
about our ears; so I halted and beckoned to them, holding up
one finger and signing to them in this way to send one man
down to us. Gradually the hubbub ceased; they still kept their
matchlocks pointed at us, but the door was opened and two
men came down to us. We had a long parley together, and I
told them who I was, that I was coming to visit their chief, and
that Captain Durand had already spoken to Safder Ali about
my coming. They said they had heard of this, but they wished
to make quite sure that I had not an army with me, so I sent
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