The Ushtarana Afghans inhabit the outer hills opposite the extreme south of the Detail Ismail Khan district. They have become largely agri cultural ; but they still trade, and bring. through the Kui Bahara pass, into British territory, camels, goats, sheep, donkeys, bullocks, wool, honey, and ghi, taking back grain, piece-goods, shoes, blankets, indigo, sugar, sugar-candy, and raw sugar. On the Sikhs rebelling in Iti18, 200 infantry of the Umlitarana, under Fattali Khan, accompanied Captain Edwardes to Vulcan.
The Gandapitr tribe inhabit the in the Debra Ismail Khan district. They too have largely settled down to agricultural piranha, but are traders. Fifty or sixty go every year to Afghanistan, and four times that number to India ; but this has had little effect in softening their manners, which are rude.
The Baber of the Delini !Ismail district Nut many sections. They are brave, but much scattered, and in Use Debra district could collect only GOO or 700 fighting men. They were considered by Captain Edwardes the most superior race of all the Trans-Indus districts. They are the fairest of all the tribes. They had a blood-feud with the powerful Mien Khel, whom they almost rival in commerce.
In Arabia, Persia, Asiatic Turkey, Afghanistan, and Baluchistan, the nomado pastoral races are continually on the move in and to their winter and summer quarters. But from the most ancient times merchants have been traversing those regions. Ezekiel, who lived B.C. 574, in the 27th chapter tells us that the Ashurites made benches of the ivory brought from the Chittim islands ; that the men of Tarshish traded with Tyre in silver, iron, tin, and lead ; Javan, Tuba], and 3leshech brought slaves and brass vessels ; horses and mules were brought by the house of Togarmah ; the men of
.Dedan trafficked in ivory, ebony, and precious clothes for chariots; and spices, precious stones, and gold were the merchandise sold in Tyre by the men of Sheba and Raamah. At the present day, Hindu traders and merchants are seen in every village of Central Asia, to the north-west as far as the shores of the Caspian Sea; but such are per manently resident in their respective localities, the products of the several countries being brought to them by the travelling mercantile tribes.
The British Governmenthas granted the Povindah a total remission of the heavy duties which were imposed by the Sikh Government on all merchand ise brought from the north-west, Kabul, Khor asan, Persia, etc.
The total number of those who encamp on British territory has been estimated at 25,000 souls, half of whom belong to the Nano section. The passes from which they generally emerge are the Gomal, Manjhi, Shekh Haider, and Zarkani. Considering the wild and independent life the Povindahs lead, they are marvellously onlerly and well-behaved when dispersed in British territory, travelling from one end of India to another. When this scattered, and unable to continuo the precautions adopted while in the passes., they have suffered losses on the Tank and Kulachee borders, in spite of the numerous posts. and the civil and police pp. 545, 546.