1838.] Description of the Siah-pdshis. 329 



koosh north of Cabdl and Julalabad, are converted Kaffirs, which their 

 appearance and mixed language seem to bear out. 



The language of Kaffiristan is altogether unintelligible to Hindus 

 and their Uzbek and Afghan neighbours; some of its sound, soft labials 

 are scarcely to be pronounced by a European, but the accompanying 

 specimens will illustrate it. They were taken from Deenbur. The 

 sentences that follow bear, however, an evident affinity to the languages 

 of the Hindu stock. As the Kaffirs have no written character, I give 

 them in an English dress. When in the Kohistan of Cabal, near 

 Punjsheer, I had an opportunity of meeting some of the people, who 

 speak Pushye, which resembles the dialect of the Kaffirs as may be 

 supposed from their proximity to them, and as will be seen in the annex- 

 ed vocabulary. Pushye is spoken in eight villages, named as follows : 

 1 Eeshpein, 2 Eeshkein, 3 Soudur, 4 AUsye, 5 Ghyu, 6 Doornama, 

 7 Dura i pootta and 8 Mulaikir, all of which are situated among 

 or near the seven valleys of Nujrow (huft dura i nujrow). The 

 Pushyes are considered a kind of Tajiks by the Afghans. 



I have stated the account which the Kaffirs give of themselves. I 

 received the following additional particulars from a Muhammadan, who 

 had visited four villages named Kutar, Gimeer f Deoos and Sets, all of 

 which are beyond the frontier hamlet of Koolman, which is inhabited 

 by Neemchu Mussulmans and lies north of Julalabad. He described 

 the Kaffirs as a very merry race, without care, and hoped he would not 

 be considered disrespectful, when he stated that he had never seen 

 people more resembling Europeans in their intelligence, habits and 

 appearance as well as in their hilarous tone and familiarity, over their 

 witf£. They have all tight clothes, sit on leathern stools, and are exceed- 

 ingly hospitable. They always give wine to a stranger and it is often 

 put in pitchers, like water, at public places which any one may drink. 

 To ensure a supply of it they have also very strict regulations prevent- 

 ing the grapes being cut before a certain day. My informant consider- 

 ed the country of the Kaffirs quite pervious to a traveller if he got a 

 Kaffir to be his security. They have no ferocity of disposition, however 

 barbarous some of their customs appear ; and, besides the mode of 

 ensuring pardon already described, he stated that if a Kaffir has killed 

 ten men of a tribe, he can secure forgiveness by throwing down his 

 knife before his enemies, trampling on it and kneeling. 



Besides my Muhammadan informant I met a Hindu at Peshaiwur, 



who had penetrated into the higher Kaffir country, about twenty-five 



miles from Chughansurall where he resided for eleven days : some of 



his observations are curious. He was protected by a Kaffir and expe- 



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