690 
THROUGH ASIA 
languages. Meanwhile the military band went through a 
long programme of Russian melodies, well-known marches, 
and God Save the Queen ” ; and heard under such 
circumstances, at such a lofty altitude on the Roof of 
the World, the music was especially charming. After 
supper, the Russian general accompanied his guests by 
torchlight to their own quarters. 
The 29th and 30th Aug-ust were proclaimed holidays ; 
and the officers got up a tamashah (spectacle, i.e. sports) 
for the entertainment of the men of their escorts and 
the Kirghiz of the neighbourhood. The first item on 
the programme was a shooting competition at 250 paces. 
In this some of the officers took part ; and the first prize 
was carried off by Colonel Wahab, upon whom after that 
I bestowed the title of Champion of the Roof of the 
World. The scene around the firing-point was gay in 
the extreme, owing to the variety and magnificence of 
the various uniforms. The ist Lancers, Hyderabad Con- 
tingent, made unquestionably the bravest show. Their 
uniform was a light brown, decorated with gold braid, 
yellow leather bandolier and sword-belt, tight-fitting 
breeches, and a tall, gold-embroidered turban, with blue 
points hanging loosely down. The uniform of the 
20th Punjab Infantry was very similar, except that the 
turban was adorned with a black bushy plume, and had 
a gold-embroidered, upstanding centre-piece. The Afridis, 
natives of the districts around Peshawar, were tall hand- 
some fellows, with a martial bearing. A vendetta of a 
more than usually stringent character obtains amongst 
their tribes. A murder is sometimes avenged, not only 
upon the nearest blood-relatives of the delinquent, but 
also upon his distant kin. 
Amongst the onlookers I observed Gulam Moheddin 
Khan, the Afghan Boundary Commissioner, accompanied 
by his suite. The Emir Abdurrahman Khan’s representa- 
tive, whom I was nearly forgetting, wore a uniform that 
was resplendent with gold-lace and ornaments. 
At the end of the shooting competition, the two generals 
distributed the prizes, consisting of a silver cup, cases 
