162 



THE BALOCH. 



genuoiis youth of Eton offered their scouts to 

 meet in the cricket-field the ambitious youth of 

 E-ugby. It is certain that a few stout fellows, 

 with a competent leader and a little money for 

 good arms and ammunition, might easily establish 

 an absolute monarchy over the independent 

 blacks, and filibuster for Zanzibar, as the Khedive 

 is now doing for Egypt. 



These Baloch mercenaries merit some notice. 

 They were first entitled Askar in the days of Sultan 

 bin Ahmad, father of the late Sayyid Said, who 

 preferred them to his unruly self-willed Omani 

 Arabs and his futile half-castes and blacks : he 

 acted upon the same principle which made the 

 Ayyubite sultans of Syria and Egypt arm first 

 Kurdish and afterwards Circassian ' Mamluks.' 

 From 1000 to 1500 men were scattered over the 

 country in charge of the forts: the ruler knew 

 that they were hated by all Arabs, and to create 

 dissensions even amongst his own children was 

 ever the astute Sayyid's policy. The Wali and the 

 Jemadar, like the Turkish Wdli and Mushir, are 

 rarely on speaking terms, and if not open enemies, 

 they are at least rivals. The people nickname 

 these foreigners Kurdra Kurara — to sleep ! to 

 sleep ! ' rara ' being the Asiatic mispronunciation 

 of Idld. Boasting themselves to be Baloch, they 



