1862.] An account of Upper and Lower Suwat. 211 



this and Tarrnah, which were chiefly on theology ; but at Waddi- 

 gram I found three others — the poem of Yiisuf and Zulikha, by 

 JEabd-ul-Kadir Khan ; and the poems of Shahaf Dali, and Adam 

 and Durkhanai, by Sadr Khan, his brother, all of which you have 

 copies of already. 



On the 23rd August, we left Waddi-gram for Mfngowarah, which 

 having passed together with the villages of Kambar and Kattli, we 

 turnod down the valley of Saiydtigan, which runs in a sotith-westerly 

 direction, and reached the village of that name, the residence of the 

 Akhund of Suwat. 



This poor and pious man has been most grossly belied for some 

 years past, by interested parties at Peshawar, who cram the autho- 

 rities with lies ; and find it easier to lay all disorders which take 

 place on this part of our frontier, at the door of this harmless man, 

 than to the true cause. He has for many years been made out to 

 be the fomenter of all the troubles on the frontier, and to be con- 

 stantly plotting mischief against us ; hut those, who have given ear 

 to such falsehoods, have not inquired how much is owing to the 

 grinding tyranny of Hindustani subordinates, and other causes which 

 shall be nameless. I would ask them one cpiestion, however, — " How 

 is it that during the year 1849, we had no walls round the canton- 

 ment of Peshawar and no chowkeydars ; yet less robberies and crime 

 occurred than at any time since, except, perhaps, during the mutiny ?" 

 If I recollect aright, the assassination of the late Colonel Mackeson 

 was laid at the Akhund' s door ; but the very appearance of the 

 venerable old man is enough to give the lie to such a statement. 

 He has been said, at Peshawar, to possess the most despotic power 

 over a most fanatical tribe ; and even the old miscreant who lately 

 set himself up at Delhi, had it proclaimed, that the poor old Akhund 

 was coming to assist him with from 12,000, to 18,000 Ghazis at his 

 back. I need scarcely add, that the whole is a mass of falsehood 

 got up by interested parties. I will now endeavour to give a sketch 

 of the Akhund as he appeared to us. 



On reaching the village of Saiydugan we proceeded to pay our re- 

 spects to him. He is a venerable looking old man, of middle height, with 

 a white beard, and is about sixty years of ago ; cheerful in disposi- 

 tion, affable to all who approach him, and with a countenance open 

 and serene. He is learned in the whole of the usual sciences studied 



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