1859.] Notes on Kufirisian. 345 



Pich, Darah Kuner, belonging to Kabul and Jelalabad, together 

 with Talaah, Panjkorah, Chiimlah, Buner, Dramtawer, Pakli, and 

 other places, dependencies of Peshawer and Langerkot, were in this 

 manner made converts to Islam. 



The so-called Nimchahs continue to intermarry with the Kafirs aud 

 Afghans indiscriminately. They also act as guides on either side, 

 when the Kafirs attack the Muhammadans, or when the latter make 

 forays into the country of the former, and sometimes even join in 

 these expeditions. They are excessively ignorant of the Muham- 

 madan creed, and most of them even appear ignorant of the neces- 

 sary forms of prayer. They all drink a strong undistilled wine, 

 which they keep a long time before broaching, another proof of their 

 connection with the Si'ah-posh tribes. 



The Si'ah-posh tribes have no history, as far as I can discover, 

 by which we could attempt to trace their origin, neither have they 

 any written character whatever ; and the whole of the different 

 tribes speak the same language. They, however, claim brotherhood 

 with the Frangis ; and during our occupation of Afghanistan, they 

 attempted to enter into friendly intercourse with us, and even sent 

 delegates from their country with this view, to the late Sir W. H. 

 McNaghten, Bart., whilst at Jelalabad in 1839 ; but these simple- 

 minded and confiding people were, in true John Bull fashion, harshly 

 and coldly repulsed. The circumstance was thus related to me by 

 an eye-witness, an officer who served in the Shah's Contingent, and 

 one of the prisoners with Lady Sale. 



In the end of 1839, in December, I think it was, when the Shah 

 aud Sir W. Macnaghten had gone down to Jelalabad for winter- 

 quarters, a deputation of the Si'ah-posh Kafirs came in from Nuro-il 

 to pay their respects, and, as it appeared, to welcome us as relatives. 

 If I recollect right there were some thirty or forty of them, and 

 they made their entry iuto our lines with bag-pipes playing. 

 An Afghan Peon, sitting outside Edward Couolly's tent, on 

 seeing these savages rushed into his master's presence exclaiming ; 

 "Here they are, Sir ! They are all come ! Here are all your rela- 

 tions!" Conolly amazed, looked up from his writing, and asked what 

 on earth he meaut ; when the Peon, with a very innocent face, 

 pointed out the skin-clad men of the mountains, saying, "There! 



