Disquieting news comes from India, where serious trouble is threatened
on the Mohmand frontier. It seems that the Mohmands rallied to the appeal of fanatical Mullahs during the recent expedition against the Zakka Khel. But before they could come to the help of the Zakka Khel terms of peace were arranged, and the Mohina.nds remained in possession of their fury, but without any particular object on which to expend it. They raided British territory and carried off a Hindu, and reprisals led to further encounters. It is an unusual time of year for the Mohmands to take the field, as the harvest is ripening. The most serious symptom is the failure of the Afghan authorities to check their countrymen, who are joining the Mohmands in considerable numbers. In 1897, as the Times correspondent at Simla points out, the Amir issued a proclamation to prevent Afghans crossing the Kabul River, but this time he is said to be doing nothing. On Sunday last the Mohmands fired on the troops stationed at Shabkadr, killing a man of the Royal Warwickshire Regiment and a syce and wounding a Sepoy. Sir James Willcocks has about three thousand British and native troops near Shabkadr, and the Mob mands and their supporters are said to have numbered about ten thousand on Sunday last and to have been increasing steadily since. A curious and significant fact, according to the Times correspondent, is the organised supply of food and ammunition, which suggests that there is some controlling power at the back of the movement superior to the spasmodic management usually displayed by the tribes- men. Lord Kitchener and Lord Minto are on their way to Simla. Meanwhile sniping continues, and there have been a few casualties.
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