h threatened to launch the two opponent parties into making
bodily attacks on each other, and the whole of the matter under
discussion was whether prayers said by a worshipper on the skin of
a jackal were efficacious or not. According to the tenets of Islam,
if a worshipper were to perform his genuflections on the bare ground
they would be of no effect, because the ground might certainly be
assumed to be ceremonially polluted. Ordinarily, the worshipper will
spread a piece of clean cloth, or mat, or skin on the ground, and,
removing his shoes beforehand, will perform his prayers thereon. It
might be contended, however, that even though the skin of the jackal
were absolutely clean, yet the unclean nature of the animal still
attached to it, and rendered the prayers ineffective. The matter in
this case was referred to a renowned Mullah who lived some way off,
and to whom both parties had to send deputations several days' journey.

Then, in the mission hospital the question has frequently been
raised by the Afghan patients as to whether it was lawful to say
prayers in the clothes provided by the mission for the patients,
even though these may have come direct from the washing; and we have
been unable to persuade patients to put on clothes, however clean,
which might possibly prevent them from saying their prayers until
they have brought the case before some Mullah who was willing to
give an ex cathedra pronouncement in our favour. Mullahs sometimes
use the power and influence they possess to rouse the tribes to
concerted warfare against the infidels, as they tell them that the
English are; and often a prelude to one of the little frontier wars
has been some ardent Mullah going up and down on the frontier, like
Peter the Hermit, rousing the tribes to come down and fight. Often
they lay claim to magical powers whereby those who submit themselves
to their incantations become invulnerable, so that they are able to
stand up before the bullets of the English troops unscathed. Before
the war of 1897, a Mullah, known as the Mullah Povindah, was reputed
to have this power; and many of the Afghans I met maintained that
they had put it to the test, and seen with their own eyes the
bullets fall harmless off the people to whom he had extended his
protection. It was useless to say that they were trying to impose
upon them, for they thoroughly believed it themselves, as was shown
in many cases by the reckless daring with which they charge