FRONTIER POLICY 35 



Yesterday was a red-letter day. We went through 

 the Kyber Pass right up to the frontier of 

 Afghanistan. The frontier is a little unsettled, so 

 Roos-Keppel had the road guarded by Kyber 

 Rifles. The partie carree consisted of the Chief Com- 

 missioner, the Hon. Maurice Wingfield, and his 

 clever, good-looking wife, and myself. We started 

 in a motor at 8 a.m., getting back about dusk. 

 It is not very safe to be out after dark. We went 

 right up to the frontier of Afghanistan. We rode 

 a pony up a break-neck path to the Pishgar Ridge 

 and looked towards Afghanistan along the Cabul 

 road. The view is very impressive and extra- 

 ordinarily wild. We then returned to Lundi 

 Kotal Fort, the headquarters of the Kyber Rifles, 

 a fine regiment of Afridis commanded by picked 

 officers of the Indian Army. A charming set of 

 men, clear-eyed, keen, smart, intelligent, and 

 modest. I was much struck by them. Their life 

 is daily in their hands. On the way back we 

 passed the fort of Ali Masjid placed on the top of 

 an almost unclimbable rock, and later on Jamrood 

 Fort, the last before reaching Peshawar. The 

 old frontier men like Lord Lawrence were quite 

 right. Their policy was quite sound. We should 

 leave Afghanistan severely alone. If any mistake 

 has been made, it is probably that we have 

 advanced too far. I cannot see that it matters 

 two straws whether we go up to one ridge or 

 another. We hold the Kyber and that is all that 

 < an matter, and as for a Russian advance into 

 India, well, I should say, " Come and see the 

 country." Some of the tribes are cut-throat 

 robbers, and all we need do is to keep them in 



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