Winston Churchill, who fought on the Afghan border in 1897. warned of the dangers of peacekeeping among the Pathans, and of mixing politics and war (46){{U}} "Except at harvest-time, when self-preservation enjoins a temporary pause, the Pathan tribes are always engaged in private or public war. Every man is a warrior, a politician and a theologian. {{/U}}Every large house is a real feudal fort...with battlements, turrets [and] drawbridges` Every village has its defence. Every family cultivates its hate; every clan. its feud.
"The numerous tribes and combinations of tribes all have their accounts to settle with one another. Nothing is ever forgotten, and very few debts are left unpaid...(47){{U}}The life of the Pathan is thus full of interest; and his valleys, nourished alike by endless sunshine and abundant water are fertile en0ught9 yield with little labour the material requirements of a small population.{{/U}}
"Into this happy world the nineteenth century brought two new facts: the breech-loading rifle and the British government. The first was an enormous luxury and blessing; the second a continuous trouble. The convenience of the breech-loading, and still more of the magazine rifle, was nowhere more appreciated than in the Indian highlands. (48){{U}} A weapon which would kill with accuracy au fifteen hundred yards opened a whole new scene of delights to every family or clan which could acquire it.{{/U}} One could actually remain in one's own house and fire at one's neighbour nearly a mile away...
"The action of the British government on the other hand was entirely unsatisfactory. The great organising, advancing, absorbing power to the southward seemed to be little better than a' monstrous spoil-sport.
"No one would have minded these expeditions if they had simply come. had a fight and then gone away again...But towards the end of the nineteenth century these intruders began to make roads through many of the valleys...All along the road people were expected to keep quiet, not to shoot one another. and, above all, not m shoot at travellers along the road. (49){{U}}It was too much to ask, and a whole series of quarrels took their origin from this source.{{/U}}
"The Political Officers who accompanied the force...were very unpopular with the army officers... (50){{U}}They were accused of the severe crime of 'shilly-shallying', which being interpreted means doing everything you possibly can before you shoot. {{/U}}We had with us a very brilliant political officer...who was much disliked because he always stopped military operations. Just when we were looking forward to having a splendid fight and all-the guns were loaded and everyone keyed up, [he] would come along and put a stop to it."