‘GAZETTEER OF PERSIA VOL. I Comprising the Provinces of ASTARÁBÁD, SHÁHRUD-BÚSTAN, KHÚRÁSÁN, AND SÍSTÁN’ [‎178v] (361/722)

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are not only insufficient in numbers, but also inclined to make common
cause with the marauders.
Another wing is detached to Sarakhs on the Marv road, and is nominally
relieved every three months; but the difficulties of the relief, through a
level country, overrun with Turkuman horse, are so great, that it is usually
deferred until the relations of the government with the tribes give promise
of immunity from attack. Thus, a wing of the Maragha Regiment was left
thirteen months in the little fort, without pay or issue of clothing, shoes, &c.
Though the garrison is always virtually imprisoned, the cavalry havino-
been withdrawn in consequence of the impossibility of getting forage in
face of superior numbers of the enemy, the post is one that must at
any cost be held, for much the same reasons that render the garrisoning
of Kalat necessary—that is to prevent the Turkumans from resettling cm
the banks of the Tajaud river, and gaining a new and advantageous posi
tion for their attacks.
There are usually about twenty light fieldguns in the citadel at Mashhad ;
and though the detachments and horses are never exercised, it may he pre
sumed that they would in some manner make their appearance with a force in
the field. At Sarakhs there are six light fieldguns, mounted on the ramparts.
There are no other artillery in the district and no regular cavalry.
Other accessories of a modern army are, of course, wanting.
Every foot-soldier has a beast of burden of some sort, and is ready to
march in any direction, with his own supplies, at short notice.
Compared with the regular, the irregular force of the district are formid
able in numbers, and might prove, under favourable circumstances, an obstacle
in the path of an invader. They are without discipline, but brave, nearly as
well armed as the ‘ Sarbaz/ composed to some extent of horse as well as of
foot, thoroughly acquainted with the country, and having a stake in it that
the regulars, recruited in a distant province, has not.
The old Ujari, under which each village was bound to arm and furnish,
when needed, one-third of its adult male population, has been abandoned;
and the government would probably resort on occasions of pressing neces
sity to a levy en masse. By this means a body of perhaps 10,000 armed
peasantry might, under alarm of invasion, be collected. Of these, the best
element would be the Kurds from the north of the district.
The arms of the peasantry are the ‘ shamkhal ; (a long, heavy, rifled match
lock), fired from a fixed post, having a range about 400 yards. This, how
ever, is usually carried by men mounted on ponies. The f khirli/ a
short, handy rifled matchlock, with a range of 150 to 200 yards. Some have
still only smoothbore pieces. Matchlocks are rapidly giving way to per
cussion locks, and all the arms now manufactured have the latter. The
proportion of European arms is very small. From 200 to 300 of these
levies are permanently employed in different parts of the border,—at
Muzdaran and the posts on the Sarakhs road and the Herat road; also from
100 to 200 mounted ‘ shamkhalchis/ of whom a detachment was seut to
Sfstan during the late disturbances.
The cavalry of the Mashhad district consists chiefly of mercenaries. There
are 1,000 Hazara horse of the tribe formerly occupying Kala Khan east
of Herat, which was dispersed after the defeat of the chief, Karfmdad
Khan, by Yar Muhammad Khan of Herat, and was subsequently induced
by the Hissam-us-Sultanat, after the evacuation of Herat in 1857, to
accompany him to Mashhad. About 2,000 families left Herat unde r