Through the Heart of , Afghanistan (Faber and Gwyer, 15i.) is
an excellently illustrated and very pleasantly written travel- book (a little over-sentimental at times, perhaps), which gives an admirable picture of Afghan life and scenery. Dr. Emil Trinkler, the author, undertook an early winter journey on horseback from Kushk on the Russian border down to Herat, and thence eastwards right across the country to Kabul, wheie a car took him through the Khyber into India. He has no exciting adventures to tell us about and it is significant that he can say that " life in this country is not so dangerous as one imagines." In Kabul he was commissioned by the Aniir to report on certain coal deposits among the Hindu Kush, and in that connexion, while applauding the Afghan ruler's " great plans and ideas," he is of opinion that the Amir " tries to do too much at the same time." Not without interest, too, is this German traveller's judgment that " if England left India to-day chaos would follow."
* * * *
Previous page
