1 Si4 OBSEIIVAX0B.0r RXUOIOfN.
2 use the lanpriiafre of" Persin. All the At<i;haiiii pilo;rims speak with
3 horror of the Ijarhansm and rapacity of the Hcdcujiu Arabs, and say
4 that the most (iesperate man of the most predatoiy A%haun tribe» is
5 but a child among them.
6 The iVLihainmedaii religion requires that everv man slioiild ^i\e a
7 portion of iiis income in charitj. All presents U> hol^ men, and even
8 the regular stipends of the Moollahs are included under this head,
9 besides alms to beggars. In places distaiit ftom tmna, wbiu» tlwi*
10 mn no beggars, they mkoa money spent in hoipitaUty, as duiily ;
11 wdt in iMi iMdetjpnU^doOtlhiej limply fulfil die iiQiincCioBi of thair
12 idigion. IXce are ibtbiddflny M aw aU g«n« of chiliM pi^^
13 .money. This pmnhibWon is nol etriGdy iManded to; but Ilia Al^
14 ^launa are little givoi to gambling Wine la faMiim to bo lbriiidda»
15 and ia in Act onlj dzank by-tlie rich ; bot» an intoKioMin^
16 itHigt thoQ|^ o^pially unlanfrful* is used by tbe dabauGbod in nKMt
17 parts of the country. The people^ however, are among the soberaat
18 tbat I hare heard of; and very Su surpass the Indians, both Hindoo
19 and Mahommedan, in that particular. Men, reeling drank about the
20 atreet^ such as one often aeea in this &amin oity (Fooiia)^ vonld be
21 a prodigy in Afghaunistaun.
22 The officr of thr Moohtesib, whose duty it U to superintend the
23 pubhc morals, is very invidious; and he is often accused of taking
24 bribes to let off the orulltv, and even of levy ing coiUrihutions by inti-
25 midating the innocent. His power extends to inflicting forty blows,
26 with a broati leather htrap, (made on a pattern prescribed either in the
27 Koraun or the traditions), and to exposing oflRsnders to publit shame,
28 by sending them round the town on an ass or a camel, ¥.dth their ikces
29 to the tail I often saw the Moohtesib of Peshawer, who, though
30 ahem dm.oidinaiy nnl^ alwa^ ifove hk thong in his gutlle, as a
31 maA of offioet he reemed a modeinle and aeosible man i but ho
32 waa vmy genenn J in qpoken o£
33 IheMboBahB,- and aU the TOligioae> evw if thaj hsfe no ofleei»
34 are fold of pnaduBg lip an anstftie liie^ aiid of diMovt^^
35 Digitized by Google