“These men are gentlemen; their fathers and their grandfathers were gentlemen and men of position, but such is the ignorance of the people I govern that not one of them can read or write: they know nothing. What work can they do? None. They can quarrel and fight; it is all they are fit for.” He told me that he had given orders for them to be taught, so that they would be able, at least, to write and read a letter. He had a regiment of boy soldiers--the “Mahomedan Regiment,” these also he had directed to be taught reading and writing. One incident occurred which may be interesting: A soldier of the guard, a man whom I had attended in Mazar, a handsome fellow who seemed to be always laughing, came up to His Highness to report an arrest he had made. He said that while he was on guard over His Highness’s tent an intruder approached and he challenged him. No answer being returned he tried to persuade him to go away, saying:-- “Sahib, this is Amîr Sahib’s tent; the tent of the great King; come not here I pray you.” But the intruder, treating him with silent contempt, advanced. Once more he tried persuasion. Humbly taking off his turban he implored:-- “Sahib! Barai-i-Khuda! For God’s sake, approach no nearer; it is Amîr Sahib’s tent.” [Sidenote: The Arrest.] This last request being no more effective than the other, he determined to act boldly and arrest the intruder be he whom he might. Throwing down his rifle he pounced upon him, overpowered him, and then proceeded to make him fast. Driving four tent pegs into the ground he fastened his legs to two of the pegs and his head to the other two--in the manner that unruly horses are fixed in Afghanistan. He felt he had done his duty, and taking up his rifle he continued his march in front of the tent. But, wai, wai! that he should have to tell it, when his back was turned, up came two of the gardeners and murdered the prisoner as he lay. “Ah?” said the Amîr, with a gleam in his eye; “bring hither the body.” The soldier withdrew, and presently returned bearing the body of the victim. It was a little mouse. The Amîr looked at the soldier a moment and then burst into a hearty laugh. Everyone joined in--except the gardeners. They were called up--forty of them--and after being reprimanded for allowing mice in the garden, were ordered each of them to pay a fine of a certain number of mice every year. The next day when the Turkestan portrait arrived I set to work to correct the new one by it; and when that was finished I copied the first, since His Highness approved of it, on another canvas.