he left hand side of the chief Sardar, was a thin tall man, and Alam
Khan, a splendid old fellow with a fine inlaid sword, can be seen
standing in the photograph reproduced in the illustration.
The last of the principal five Badini chiefs was a comparatively young
man of black complexion, long jet black curly hair, and garbed in a gaudy
poshteen, sword and belt. His name was Kasin Khan.
Then there was Kadar Bakhsh, uncle of the present Mingal Sardar, a man
most useful to the British Government, and beside him his brother, Attar
Khan.
Gauher Khan, nephew of the Mingal Sardar, was a picturesque young man
with heavily embroidered black coat and a black turban. He carried his
sword in his hand.
As one looked round the circle it was really a most impressive and
picturesque sight--colours of all sorts dazzling in the sunlight. Among
the other most important men were Adal Khan (cousin of the Badini chief),
a very old fellow, curved from age; and Bai Khan, his cousin, who looked
somewhat stronger; Kaiser Khan, a smart young fellow with curly hair,
black coat and trousers, was the son of the Jumaldini chief, and a young
fellow of weak constitution, by name Abdullah Aziz, was son and heir of
the Badini Sardar.
[Illustration: A Badini Sardar.]
[Illustration: The Salaam of the Beluch Sardars at Nushki.
(Sardar Alam Khan standing.)]
Sherdil and Mehrullah Khan, with elaborately embroidered coats and Snider
rifles, sat among the elect, and the others were soldiers and followers,
but a fine lot of fellows indeed, all the same.
When the formal reception broke up I showed them my repeating rifles,
revolvers and various instruments, which interested them greatly; and the
leading chiefs having been entertained to tea, they eventually departed
after repeated salaams.
Although the Beluch and the Afghan shake hands on arrival, they seldom do
so on departing, the handshake being for them an outward sign to express
the joy of seeing a friend.
On surveying the neighbourhood from our high point of vantage at the
bungalow, we found plenty to interest the observer. To the north and
north-west directly below the hill could be seen a graveyard in two
sections, the tombs being very high above ground, with prismatic tops of
white stones, whereas the bases were of black pebbles. The tombs in the
graveyard to the north-west were in bad preservation. There was at this
spot a well known Ziarat called Kwajah Mahommed, and the British
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