AMONG THE AFFGHANS. 245 



the graves of the "giants there were in those days." 

 One of these Chalgazas, the common resort of Hindoo 

 and Moslem petitioners, nourishes in Peshawar, close 

 to one of the main roads. This dead giant had the 

 peculiar faculty of growing every now and again, and 

 threatened before long to grow straight across the 

 public road. But here the civil authorities stepped 

 in, and advised him to do his enlargement under- 

 ground if he must do it, and warned him that other- 

 wise he would find his space curtailed. He has very 

 obligingly followed this advice ever since. 



There is a story told of our friends the Khyber 

 Zakhakhels that is very probably true. It was long 

 a sore point with them that, while every other section 

 of the tribe had its particular shrine, no Fakir had 

 been obliging enough to die amongst them. They had 

 been taunted about this by the others, till at last they 

 determined to supply the deficiency. In Peshawar 

 lived a Fakir of peculiar sanctity. A deputation 

 from the Khyber waited on this saint, and earnestly 

 invited him to pay them a visit. He granted the 

 request, and on arrival was sumptuously entertained. 

 After dinner he was informed of the vacancy in the 

 Khyber saints' calendar, and of the determination of 

 the tribe to be no longer without the means of having 

 a heavenly agent to forward the prayers of their son- 

 less ones. As his soul was going straight to bliss, 

 and his body to be so highly honoured, he could not 

 possibly have any objection to the arrangement. Any 



