A Peep into Toorkisthhan | Page 6

a natural ledge on the verge of a perpendicular cliff, and so sheer
was the side, that from a horse's back you might sometimes have
dropped a stone into the apparently bottomless ravine--bottomless, for
the rays of a noon-day sun have never broken the eternal darkness of
the awful chasm beneath. Had horse, camel, or man missed their
footing whilst scrambling up the steep and stony pathway, nothing
could have saved them from being dashed to pieces. Frequently, when
rounding some projecting crag, the small treasure-box fastened on the
camel literally overhung the abyss, and I held my breath and the
pulsations of my heart increased as I watched horse after horse and
camel after camel weather the critical point.
Before we reached Uart a poor woman of the Huzareh tribe (the most
persecuted and enslaved throughout these regions) came and
complained to us that her child had been seized by a band of plunderers,
as she supposed, to be sold into slavery. Sturt immediately despatched

a couple of the guard to recover her child if possible, and the poor
woman went off with the two soldiers in the full confidence that her
escort would be successful. I own that I myself was not so sanguine,
but I had yet to learn how much even in these wild mountains the
British name was respected. The mother's hopes were realized, and in
the course of the day the child was recovered, having been instantly
surrendered on the requisition being made; but I was surprised to see
instead of a helpless child a fine handsome well-knit young man. The
gratitude of the poor woman was sincere; she had nothing, she said, to
offer in return, but prayed that every blessing might descend upon us
and our most distant relations; that we might all become great kings;
and that finally we might be successful in conquering the country we
were proceeding to invade: vain were our endeavours to set before her
in their true light the object of our expedition.
We arrived rather late at Uart after a hard day's work, and were not
much gratified by the aspect of our camp, which was disagreeable,
from its great elevation and its situation on a bleak table-land, thinly
covered with a short grass, with the strong winds of the Hindoo Khoosh
sweeping across it.
Here a young woman came to our tent asking permission to avail
herself of our protection, as she was proceeding to the frontiers of
Toorkisth[=a]n to purchase slave girls for the Cabul market. She
accompanied us to Bamee[=a]n, and there remained. I heard afterwards
that she did not succeed according to her anticipations, and that on her
return to Cabul she died of fever. Our English ideas of slavery drawn
from our knowledge of the varied sufferings endured by the thousands
who are annually exported from the western shores of Africa, are
opposite to those entertained in the east even by the victims themselves.
The Asiatic and African slave are alike in name alone; the treatment of
the latter in those parts of America where, spite of the progress of
civilization and the advancement of true principles of philanthropy over
the world, slavery is still tolerated and encouraged, has been too well
and too often described for me to venture a word of my own opinion,
but in Asia, in many cases, the loss of liberty is hardly felt.

The situation of the domestic slave of Egypt (though, strictly speaking,
he must be classed under the head of "African") is analogous to that
observable generally in the east; and I form my opinion partly from an
anecdote related to me by my friend Captain Westmacott, of the 37th
Native Infantry, who was killed in the retreat from Cabul, which I will
venture to repeat as an illustration. He was proceeding by the overland
route from England to India, and remained some time in Egypt to view
its splendid antiquities. On making inquiries with the object of
procuring servants, he was informed that he had better purchase slaves.
The civilized notions of my friend revolted at the idea, but he was
assured that it was a method very generally adopted, as he would find it
extremely difficult to hire servants, and if successful, they would prove
the veriest rascals on the face of the earth. He reluctantly consented,
and had them purchased. On his departure for India he summoned his
slaves, and informed them that as they had behaved themselves well he
would give them their freedom. They looked astounded and burst into
tears, reminding him that instead of being kind to them he had shewn
cruelty, "for where," said they, "shall we go now? Who will have
anything to say to us? We shall starve and die; but if your highness will