'Gazetteer of the Persian Gulf. Vol I. Historical. Part II. J G Lorimer. 1915' [‎2583] (1100/1262)

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to find the vessel empty and a watchfire still burning. On the
morning of the 20th of March a further consignment was landed near
Lash in the Jashk district. In each of the cases last mentioned the
movement of a number of Afghans towards the coast had attracted atten
tion towards the point where the arrival of the arms was expected by the
consignees^ but in both instances the necessary intelligence was received
and communicated too late. In May the Nakhuda of a vessel believed
to be carrying arms was reported to have thrown the cargo overboard on
sighting H.M.8. "Sphinx" near Jashk; the true nature of the incident
however, remained somewhat doubtful. By the end of the season the
officers of the Eoyal Navy, among whom Commanders Hose and James
had taken the largest share in the operations, were satisfied of the prac
tical impossibility of checking the arms trade by sea; but, at their sugges
tion, Mr. R. New, Assistant Superintendent at Jashk of the Indo-Euro
pean Telegraph Department, was officially thanked for the trouble he had
taken in organising a system of intelligence along the coast by means of
telephones and special watchmen.
Meanwhile preparations for striking a blow, if possible, at the Afghan
arms trade had been made by Major F. C. Webb-Ware, Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. ,
Chagai; and, on receiving news of the departure early in April 1907 of a
large consignment from Jagin, he caused the routes which lead from
Persia across the extreme north-western salient of British Baluchistan
into Afghan territory to be watched with special care.
On the 27th of April a caravan of 200 camels, accompanied by 80
armed Afghans and headed by one Muhammad Jan, Kharoti, arrived
from the south at Kacha Thana, where they halted for a few hours, intend-
inp- to proceed via the Eacha gorge to Gudar-i-Shah on the Shelag river,
and so to Band-i-Kamal Khan on the Helmand. Major Webb-Ware on
being informed of the circumstances by telegraph, sent orders to the tew
levies at Saindak and Rob at to delay the passage of the caravan through
the Kacha gorge, by firing at the camels, while troops were despatched to
their assistance. The Saindak levies reached the gorge about 10 p. m the
same evening, and an hour later the caravan made its appearance ; but the
number of the smugglers enabled them to force the passage,—not however
without loss, as was proved by bloodstains and the abandonment of a case
of 2,900 rounds of Kynoch ammunition. Meanwhile a partyof 50 regu-
lar native infantry had marched from the Kohat post; but although they
covered a distance of 62 miles in 22 hours, in a temperature by day ot
98° F. in the shade, they arrived too late; and on reaching the Afghan
border, which the caravan had by this time crossed, they were obliged to
retrace their steps. It was subsequently ascertained that the caravan
carried about 1,500 rifles and 200,000 cartridges ; that the members of it
on entering Afghanistan refused to pay import duty on their goods
though demanded by the Afghan officials; and that the destmation of the
whole consignment was Ghazni. With the caravan were eeen two IWu 8
who spoke Panjabi, and were not, apparently, Bamyae from Afghanistan.
Dispositions were at once made by the' Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. , Chagai, for
the reception of a second caravan which was following "^he wake of the
first; and, by the timely co-operation of 30 rifles of the Robat escort
with the Saindak and Eobat levies, it was effectually broken up in the
Preventive
measures in
British
Baluchistan,
1907.
Partially
successful
atfack on an
arms caravan
near Kacha,
27th April
1907.
Large
capture
of arms and
ammunition
near Kacha,