f the first village of the next clan. Here they stopped and said:
"We can go no farther. If we were to go into that village, there would
very likely be bloodshed, as there is enmity between us and them;
but we will sit at the top of this knoll here and watch you while you
go on to the village, and if anyone interferes with you on the way
we will shoot." I went on with an Indian hospital assistant who was
with me, and when nearing the village a man came up and shook hands
with great heartiness, saying: "Don't you remember me? I brought my
brother to your hospital when he was shot and his leg broken, and
we were with you for two months." He brought me to the village and
to his brother, who hobbled out on a crutch to meet us, and was very
pleased. They insisted on our stopping while they called some of the
other villagers, who were anxious to see the doctor, and finally sent
us forward on our journey with a fresh escort and a hearty "God-speed."

CHAPTER VI

A DAY IN THE WARDS

The truce of suffering--A patient's request--Typical cases--A
painful journey--The biter bit--The conditions of amputation--"I
am a better shot than he is"--The son's life or revenge--The
hunter's adventure--A nephew's devotion--A miserly patient--An
enemy converted into a friend--The doctor's welcome.

As I have already said, the Afghans never forget their tribal feuds
except in the presence of foes from without. Then they may put them
aside for a while, especially if their foe be not Mussulman in faith,
but only for a while. The feuds begin again as soon as the danger
is past.

But in the wards of the mission hospital all this is changed, and
here may be seen representatives of all the frontier tribes chatting
fraternally together, who as likely as not would be lying in ambush
for one another if they were a few miles off across the frontier. But
it is generally recognized among them that feuds are to be forgotten in
hospital; and accordingly the doctor gets an audience from half a dozen
different tribes in one ward when he is drawing out the conversation
from the land of feuds to the Prince of Peace, and when he contrasts
the Gospel of loving your neighbour with their rule of "shoot your
neighbour and get his rifle." They say in a half-apologetic tone:
"True; but God has decreed that there shall always be discord among
the Afghans, so what can we do?" Sometimes a patient will say: "I
want to be in a ward that