Page 373 - PERSIAN 8 1912_1920_Neat

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POR TUB YJ2AR 101G.
Political History.
»XUc Governor General started ofF early in the year for a tour through the
District. His main object was certainly sport though, no doubt, lie expected
the tour to be profitable as woll: lie is a spendthrift and very fond of money,
but, for a Persian Governor, he is a moderate in the way of extortion. He
planned his tour to tnAe him round by I3am and Jiruft to Aqta and Afshar
and hack to Kerman He halted short of Ham and the Khans of Ham and
Karmashir came out to his camp and paid their respects to him there.. Ho went
on through Jiruft and, though it looked at first as if there was going to be
0 difficulty with the Zargham-i-Nizam, the latter listened to the advioo of His
Britannic Majesty’s Consul, and went to meet him with proper respect. The
Governor-General received him well and confirmed him in tho Governorship
of Rudbar.
Unfortunately, before the camp got beyond the confines of Rudbar, some
Bnkhtiaris, who entered a Rudbar village, were fired on and, in a fit of temper,
the Governor-General allowed his men to make reprisals. This, upset tho
Zanriiam and lie threatened to loot caravans coming up tho Jiruft road.
However, on the representations of Ilis Britannic Majesty’s Consul, the
Governor-General soothed down the Zargliam and the latter superseded his
threatening letters by ono promising to safeguard the road as before. When
the Governor-General*got to the end of Jiruft and began to enter tho Aqta-
Afshar couutry he was met by a hostile gathering of the tribes who refused to
allow him to march through their country. He was attacked by their advan­
ced posts on the border but, the Bakhtinris drove them in and, after demoli­
shing a few village lowers, his force advanced to Urzu and encamped there.
Husain Khan, Bukagchi, who had joined the Governor-General, ostensibly in
loyal obedience, hue r?ally, simpiy to spy on him, here decamped and went
over openly to the enemy. The Governor-General was hung up here for some­
time and began to find Lin:self in a difficult position. Ilis force had about
cleared out the Dis:rict behind it, he was cut off from supplies from Kerman
and the country immediately around him could provide practically nothing in
the way of provisions. lie was ia a hurry to return to Kerman, before the
arrival * of the German o:Hccrc, whoso advance agent had already reached
Kerman. He was himself ready to buy ofF the tribesmen, but was luckily put
off by the Sirdar-i-Kasrat and by the extravagant demands put forward by
Gunj Ali Khan at die instigation of the Democrats in Koriran. fortunately
the tribes themselves solved his difficulties for him by attacking his position
and being badly beaten by the Bakhtiaris. Guuj Ali Khan was captured,
and Husain Khan only escaped with a handful of men, and was rounded up
without much difficulty. Tho combination of the tribes was completely
broken up and the Governor-General returned in triumph with his captives to
Kerman. The whole Kerman District and the Baluchis were, of course, in­
tently watching the trial of strength between the Bakhtiaris and the other
tribesmen and the complete victory of tho Bakhtiaris put tho whole province
into a state of order and quietude, which it had not known for years. This
lasted until the time the Consulate was olosed in all the districts except
Jiruft and a corner of Rudbar so that a separate review of each is unnecessary.
Jiruft and Rudbar unfortunately suffered from an incursion of Baluchis
in October and November and two large caravans of carpets going to Bandar
Abbas were looted by thorn. The Baluchis were undoubtedly incitecfby Gorman
Agents and were satisfied that tho Governor-Geneial was too occupied by the
Germans in Kormau to detach any force against them, but even so they left
Narmashir alone and only attacked Jiruft vVhich had no Bakhtiaris in it.
The first half of the year in the ICorman city was not marked by any
Kcmnn citj. CYC,nt °f importance. Prices vrero high
, and trado was dislocated, but people had
got used to the new state of affairs The Governor-Goncral loft, m the early
Spring, to tour through the Districts and tho Korraanis waited w ith interest
to see .how his visit would be taken in Rudbar by tho Zargham, who had a
strong inclination towards repudiating tho authority of the Govcrnor-Gcmm-al
and in Aqta-Afshar by Gunj Ali Klmn into whose district no official had
entered for some years except by special permission. None of tho Kermanu