THE FIGHT AT NILT.
[To THE EDITOR OF THE " SPECTATOR."1
Sin,—You do well to celebrate the gallant deeds of Captain Aylmer, Lieutenants Taylor and Manners-Smith, and their Goorkha followers. But I am sure that you would not willingly do an injustice to those with whom they were in collision. You describe in your article the Hunka-Nagar men as "savage tribes which carry fire and sword across the frontier in defiance of the Pax Britannica." Now, in the first place, these folk, though ignorant and uncivilised, cannot, I believe, be fairly described as savage. Dr. Leitner, who sojourned among them for some time, describes them (especially the Nagars) as being rather gentle, amiable people, leading a pastoral life among their lofty mountains. According to him, they were very kindly disposed, formerly at least, towards the rare and adventurous Englishmen who came among them. In the next place, they have never been accused before, I think, of "carrying fire and sword across the frontier." In fact, even if they were disposed and strong enough to do so, it would be almost a physical impossibility. The nearest territory which would really repay a raid, is the central valley of our feudatory State of Cashmere; and between this and the Nagars lie tremendous mountains, traversed by so bad a track that it has been as much as the Cashmere authorities could do to get the necessary supplies up to the small frontier force at Gilgit. The distance may be some two hundred miles.
Apparently, the real cause of the trouble has been recent Russian movements far north in Turkestan. In consequence of this, the Indian Government thought it necessary to post a small body of troops on this remote frontier of Cashmere, and to authorise Colonel Durand, their Agent on the spot, to take such steps as he might think fit to improve the communications and secure a paramount influence in that quarter. The tribesmen were alarmed, and thought they were to be annexed outright, and opposed the advance. Hence, it would seem, this fighting. In justice to these hill-folk, their case should be distinguished from such cases as that of the Meranzai clansmen, behind the Afghan frontier, who were punished last year for acts of daceity on the wrong side of the border, which members of their clan had undoubtedly com- mitted. But any instance of a whole clan in a body "carrying
fire and sword "across our frontier, is not, I think, to be found in very recent history. Perhaps one of the latest instances was the burning of the town of Tank, not far from Dera Ismail Khan, by a gathering of border tribesmen, daring the last Afghan War.—I am, Sir, &c.,
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