I've been reading Dust on My Shoes (1951, Bobbs-Merrill, Inc.), by Peter Pinney (1922-1992), an Australian, about his travels from Europe all the way back to Australia 1947-1948.
I'm a sucker for such "travel" books; the just-get-up-and-go, adapt-to-things-as-they-arise, sorts of books, where one gets by merely on his own wits. Why, should be obvious.
There's an excellent description of the Greek Civil War as it was then raging (1947); much better than whatever was in newsmagazines of the time, or in history books since.
I'm still trying to figure out the origin, though, of the term "Digger Puncher" as used by the British commandant of the Khyber Rifles to describe the author, after the author identified himself as Australian.
Anyway.
The book has all sorts of interesting anecdotes, and I found this one compelling, as told the author by the guy commanding the Khyber Rifles.
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"The Afridis own most of the pass," said the colonel, "and they make fine soldiers too; all except the Zakka Khel Afridis. You can see their land and villages, where Ali Masjid broadens out toward Landi Khotal."
"Can't the Zakka Khels shoot straight?"
"Oh, they shoot straight, all right, but you can't trust them. They really are the most treacherous and balltearing liars you'll ever find. They just cannot speak the truth; they've got a natural preference for lies and larceny. They're the greatest thieves on earth.
"Do you know how they pinch camels from passing caravans? They get a female camel in heat, and put her upwind at night. The males of the caravan get excited, break their nose ropes and gallop away into the darkness up to the lady camel.
"Same with village dogs too; they get a bitch in heat to draw away the dogs of an enemy village by night, then sneak up and then begin tunneling through the wall. They get up to all sorts of tricks".....
....."They can swear by their fathers," continued the colonel, "by the beard of the Prophet, by anything at all, and no one ever believes a word they say.
"In fact, they once got worried about this. The Khel fathers put their heads together and said, 'It's a terrible thing that no one believes us. We must find something to swear on so that people will believe what we say. We must build a shrine over some holy person.'
"But there was no holy person among them.
"Their land is close to Landi Khotal and the middle of the pass, so it was a common thing for caravans to pause there overnight.
"There came a holy mullah who was returning from a pilgrimage to Mecca, a very holy man, and he was invited by the Zakka Khels to sleep with them.
"They gave him a fine meal, and while he slept they cut his throat, then buried him with much ceremony and built a shrine over him--you can see it there--and ever since they've sworn by him.
"But for some reason or other people still won't believe them."
