THE SCENE OF THE LATE RATTLE.

Inangahua Times, Volume X, Issue 1541, 29 April 1885, Page 2

THE SCENE OF THE LATE RATTLE.

SIR PETER LUMSDEN'S RECEPTION AT PENJDEH. A contemporary writes as follows : — We give an account of the people 'who inhabit the eonntry round PenjJoh, thn scene of the recent attack by the Russians on the Afghans. The navritive is from tbo pea of the

Daily News correspondent ace mi - . panying the Frontier Commission. The same writer in a letter dated "Penjdeh on the Murghab, Afghanistan, Dec. 7, 1884," says:— "My last letter was from Khusan, where we met the camp from India, and I had described, as far as the spac« of a letter would permit, the ravages aud desolation which had been produced hy the Turkoman raids in Persia and along the frontier on the east of that country. From Kaksan we have been on Afghan territory, and I had faint hopes that the state of the frontier here would not be fouad in such a woeful condition as that w« had inst passed through. A very short experience in this locality was enough to show that the process of extermination had also gone on here. From one of the officers who came with the Indian camp I learned that as far south as Sher Bakhs, about 50 miles south of Herat, he had noticed towers of refuge in the fields, a*d he found them all the way from that place to Kuhsan. These towers are a pretty sure indication of the limits which were liable to raids. Herat, like Meshed, being a large town, was of course avoided in marauding excursions: /•Two days before reaching Akf T#pa. gome of the Barak chiefs, got vp 1 in gorgeous pink and* gold, came from Penjdeh to meet Sir Peter Lumsden, and marched back with us. At Ak Tapa, which is close to Penjdeh the Afghan garrison, wnich is commanded Y>y General Ghous-a-din Khan, turned out to receive ns. On arrival the Afghan General rode forward to receive Sir Peter Luinsden, and a salute of 17 guns was given. The Saraks turned out in great numbers to witness the ceremony, and the artillery is Raid to be a great wonder and astonishment to them ; most probalily they had never heard them fired till the day of our arrival. They have only one notion -of fighting, aud that is on a horse, with a musket and a sword. Artillery they may have heard of, but it is impossible, that they could have seen such weapons j till the Afghan troops came here. The i gnns, it may l>e stated, are sisal I ; bat '. then Sarak experience has nothing ; with which to compare the«i, and hence the " moral effect " of the artilley j on their minds. Another astonishment ; wjis the escort of the 11th Bengal Lnncers. We have a detachment of 50 of them with us. The tall lances, wi h the red and blue penons fluttering in the wind ; fine strong men, aud all dressed alike ; erary strap and ; buckle the same ; swords and carabines without a point of diff»renc« between them, were, matters of detail j they bad never hefore witnessed. ! Little l>oys will remember the day for ' a long time to come. The little boys were out in great strength, many of them riding on horses, often two ot> one animal. Little fellows, scarcely more than four or five years of age, with small stumps of legs, sat, or straddled on large steeds, and looked j quite at home. It Was rather a striking contrast, after coming over so much ground which had been devastated by these Turkomans and their kindred tribes, to find oneself amongst them. Coming here for the last month or so, oue could only think of them liy ' their deeds, and suppose them to be monsters. There they were before us, peaceaMe, good natu red, and smiling fellows. We bad seen them at work for some days back, and found them a simple, harmless people. History contains many illustrations of similar transitions which it is needless to refer to."