for the most part spend the summer, are two or three
thousand feet higher. When the snow melts there is excellent pasturage.
The climate is pleasant in summer, but bitterly cold in winter. The Bara
river with its affluents drains the glens of Tirah. The Aka Khel
Afridis, who have no share in the Pass allowances, own a good dear of
land in the lower Bara valley and winter in the adjoining hills. The
fighting strength of the above seven sections may be put at 21,000. When
they have been able to unite they have shown themselves formidable
enemies, for they are a strong and manly race, and they inhabit a very
difficult country[17]. But the Afridi clan is torn by dissensions. Blood
feuds divide house from house, and the sections are constantly at feud
one with another. Apart from other causes of quarrel there is the
standing division into two great factions, Gar and Samil, which prevails
among Afridis and Orakzais. Afridis enlist freely in our regiments and
in the Khaibar Rifles, and have proved themselves excellent soldiers.
The eighth section of the Afridis, the Adam Khel, who hold the Kohat
Pass and the adjoining hills, have very little connection with the rest
of the clan. The Jowakis, against whom an expedition had to be sent in
the cold weather of 1877-78, are a sub-section of the Adam Khel.

[Illustration: Fig. 136. Khaibar Rifles.]

~Orakzais, Chamkannis, and Zaimukhts.~--The Orakzais, who in numbers are
even stronger than the Pass and Aka Khel Afridis, occupy the south of
Tirah, the Samana Range on the border of Kohat, and the valley of the
Khanki river. The tribal territory extends westwards as far as the
Khurmana, a tributary of the Kurram. The Orakzais do some trade and Sikh
_banias_ and artizans are to be found in some of their villages. The
clan is honey-combed with feuds. North-west of the Orakzais beyond the
Khurmana are the Chamkannis, and on the south is a small tribe of
vigorous mountaineers called Zaimukhts. One of these Zaimukhts, Sarwar
Khan, nicknamed Chikai, was a notorious frontier robber, and a person of
considerable importance on the border till his death in 1903.

~The Kurram Valley.~--The Kurram Valley, which is drained by the Kurram
river and its affluents, lies to the south of the lofty Safed Koh range,
and reaches from Thal in Kohat to the Peiwar Kotal on the borders of
Afghan Khost. It has an area of nearly 1300 square miles and in 1911 the
population was estimated at 60,941 souls. Though u