The Ethnology of India. 143 



a man at once feel, when he gets among them, that he is out of India. 

 A European will really more amalgamate with a Pathan in a week than 

 with a thorough Indian in seven years. 



The Pathans are decidedly high-Arian in feature ; and if their 



features are less universally very high and chiselled than those seen in 



the northern hills, they have on the other hand more of a broad, robust? 



ruddly, manly look, and the people are in fact a hardier and bolder 



people. About Cabul they are fair, but some of the tribes in the 



lower and hotter hills and valleys adjoining India have somewhat 



daik skins. Rough, simple, and frank as these people generally look, 



they are in fact by no means simple. I believe that some of the 



more isolated tribes, Wazeerees, &c, have more simple virtue, but the 



great majority of the Afghans, partly probably by nature and more 



in consequence of long dealing with many nations (holding as they 



do the portals of India), have the reputation of being a very astute, 



intrigruing, ambitious, avaricious, and crafty people. Great allowance 



must, however, he made for their situation and temptations. One 



cannot but feel that so energetic and fine a race, living in a country 



so poor, but the highway of so many nations, must of necessity learn 



to live a good deal on their neighbours. I am told by officers on the 



frontier, that in point of bold unblushing lying, a Hindu is a mere 



child to a Pathan. I suppose this habit comes from long living by 



their wits. The character of faithfulness, however, is in the main 



injurious to the Pathans. They are distrusted as mercenaries. It is 



felt that if they are always ready to do any work when it is made 



worth their while, they are also people of a calculating disposition, 



who are very likely to turn, when the advantages preponderate in 



favour of another policy ; as the Persians found to their cost in the 



last century, when they too much availed themselves of the services 



of the Afghans. At present they are very popular in our native 



army, and certainly make capital soldiers. But they are fickle and 



uncertain, and seldom serve long without a break. A man gets a 



message to say that it is absolutely necessary that he should come 



home and murder his uncle, and off he goes with or without leave. 



They come back, however. It is a thing to be understood that the 



Ameer of Cabul pretends to no authority whatever over the Eastern 



Afghan tribes. They are avowedly politically quite independent, 



