AFGHANISTAN

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empire, and the evidence seems strong that we may
include amongst the Bashgol Kafirs those yet more
ancient people of Pelasgic origin who, as Nyceans,
claimed Alexander's protection during his advance through
Swat. The Kafirs occupied a great part of Swat and the
tower Kunar Valley as late as the sixteenth century, and
thence retired into the Kashmund mountains north-west of
Jalalabad within historic times. The area of their occupation
 can almost be traced by the entire absence of
Buddhist remains within the limits of a district which is
almost surrounded by such relics of the past. In the
sixth century B.C. colonies of captive Greeks had been
transferred from Kyrene and Milesia by Darius Hystaspes
and Xerxes to Central Asia ; and their descendants may
vet be found (according to Bellew) in the Logar Valley,
south of Kabul, in certain districts of Kunduz in Afghan
Turkestan, and on the slopes of the Hindu Kush near the
historic pass of Kaoshan. There is at least no difficulty
'n accounting for the very marked influence of Greek art
'n the sculptures of the Buddhist monasteries and temples
of the Peshawur Valley. Not only did Greek dynasties
hold Baktria (which included most of Afghan Turkestan
and Badakshan up to the Pamirs) for two hundred years
after Alexander's invasion until they were turned out by
the Jata Skyths about 126 B.C. but it seems exceedngly
 probable that the roads and passes of Badakshan
and the Kabul basin were better known to the Macedonians
 in the year 335 B.C. (before Alexander’s advent)
than they are to the English Intelligence Department in
the year 1900.
Quite recently a new province or political agency has
been carved out of the borderland districts on the extreme
a0rth - west of India which presents many points of
analogy with Baluchistan on the south. Like Baluchistan
it includes territories within the pale of settled administralion
 by the Indian Government, and independent territories
beyond the Indian frontier which are under tribal control.
The trans-Indus provinces of the Punjab (or Derajat) with
the Peshawur Valley form the section of the Punjab which