Page 306 - PERSIAN 8 1912_1920_Neat

22' PERSIAN GULF ADMINISTRATION REPORT

an expedition into Baluchistan. With this end. in view he fathered (he
mission of the Misbah-i-Diwan to Baluchistan, hut when the latter found
himsolf unable to get further than Charbar and ashed for pecuniary assistance
ho washed his hands of him. lie clung, however, as long as lie could to the*
hope of inarching into Baluchistan and was much aggrieved at not being
supported in his project and at having to give it up. llis Governorship docs
not appear to have been particularly noteworthy in any way and lie is chiefly
remembered locally for his closc-fistedncss.
The history of ltudbar during the year was uneventful. The Zargham-i-
JS’izam. retained his usual authority and
Iludbar.
appears to have exercised it wisely. The
district remained peaceful and the Rudbaris refrained from any interference
with caravans on the Bandar Abbas road.
The Afshars remained -well-behaved throughout the year and did not
even indulge in their usual internal feuds.
l^ta Abhor.
Caravans passed unmolested through
their district.
Husain Khan Buchaqchi committed a robbery early in the year and tried
g. . to stir up mischief but without success.
A small force of Gendarmes was posted
in Sirjan town and their presence there, though notan unmixed blessing, seems
to have afforded protection to the district which escaped its usual harrassings
from its western neighbours.
In January, a caravan was looted by Fars robbers but the local authorities,
by prompt and energetic action, recovered
Rafkinjan.
the lost property and punished the robbers
so successfully that they had peace for the rest of the year. Complaints were
made of oppression against the Rafat-ud-Dowleh, but Ilis Majesty’s Consul
did not consider that the Itifaat was any worse than the average Governor.
Jiruft was again swept by Balueh raiders in February and suffered badly;
over a hundred of tbe inhabitants were
Jirnft.
said to have been killed. Luckily no
caravans were in Jiruft at the time except one which was caught at Dasht-i-
Kuch. Otherwise the year was uneventful.
Early in February a strong force of Baluchis, estimaied at from 1,000
to 3,000, invaded Narmashir. The Gover­
Ram.
nor of Bam marched out against them,
but beyond surrounding him in Abbasabad the Baluchis did not take any
notice of him, and continued their advance as far as Darzin where thoy entren­
ched themselves and waited the attack of the Gendarmes who had advanced
from Kerman to meet them. The Gendarmes blundered on to them there
and ongaged them throughout the day and at nightfall, finding themselves
nearly run out of ammunition, retired on Tahrud. The Gendarmes lost three
men killed and three wounded and claim to have inflicted a loss of one hundred
on the enemy, but this number is improbable. After the fight the Baluchis
retired through Narmashir again, while the Gendarmes awaited reinforcements
of men and ammmiition. On receiving these they advanced to Bam, but by
then the Baluchis were the other end of Narmashir. The local authorities
tried to persuade the Gendarmes to follow up the Baluchis but they wisely
refused and, after waiting to make sure that there was no truth in the reports
that the Baluchis intended to advance again, returned to Kerman. It was
part of this Baluch force that raided Jiruft on its way home. At the end of
March there was again a scare of another Baluch raid but happily it did not
eventuate, as the defences of Bam then consisted of sixty mutinous Sarbazes
and one broken gun, the M.erat-i-Sultan with the reinforcements and serviceable
gun sent in February, having been recalled to Kerman. Throughout Apr1*
the people of Narmashir remained in terror of furthor Baluoh raids. In May
the new Governor, the Salar-i-Akram, arrived in Bam with ono hundred Bakbti-
ari sowars who soon raised the whole town against thorn by their violence
and oppression and the Govornor-Genoral had to sond a Commissioner w
enquire into their behaviour, after which matters improved. In Juno an