Pashtu proverb, "The Feringis in their religion, and
we in ours," saying: "So long as you say your prayers regularly,
and read the Quran, and keep the fast, and do not eat their food,
lest by any chance there should be swine's flesh in it, you have no
reason to fear."

For some time Jahan Khan served me well, but was evidently chary of
too dangerous an intimacy. I had at that time an educated Afghan
who was teaching me Pashtu, and he sometimes twitted Jahan Khan
with his inability to read. This made the boy desirous of learning,
and he persuaded the munshi to give him a lesson every day. When the
alphabet had been mastered, the munshi was looking about for some
simple book for reading-lessons, and he happened to take up a Pashtu
Gospel which had been given him and laid aside, and from this Jahan
Khan got his first reading-lessons. Before long the teaching of the
book he was reading riveted his attention. It was so different from the
old Muhammadan ideas with which he had been brought up. Instead of the
law of "Eye for eye and tooth for tooth," was the almost incredible
command to forgive your enemies. His reading-lesson became the event
of the day for him, not merely on account of the advance in learning,
but because of the new ideas which were stirring in his mind. When the
munshi observed that a change had come over him, he became alarmed,
and told Jahan Khan that he must have no more reading-lessons at all,
and that he had better give up all idea of learning to read. The
seed was, however, already sown, and despite the adjurations of the
munshi, Jahan Khan astonished me one day by coming to ask that I
should continue the reading-lessons with him.

It was a delight to notice week by week the growth of the Spirit in
the boy's heart, but with all that there were many storms to brave
and many seasons of darkness and unbelief, which threatened to crush
the young seedling before it was yet able to weather the storm. The
Afghan nature is hot-tempered and reckless, and he found it difficult
to curb his spirit under the taunts of those around him. One afternoon,
as I was sitting in my room, I heard shouts from outside--"O Daktar
Sahib! O Daktar Sahib!"--and on running out found that two Muhammadans
had seized him and were beating him, while they were trying to stifle
his cries by twisting his turban round his neck. This was only the
first of many times that the young convert was to bear the reproach
of the Cross, and he had