ELD 106 — Kok Sirdar

• Maitland, P.J. (1888): Records of Intelligence Party ABC, Vol. 1, p. 225 (Febr. 12, 1885): “Well to do Turkomans never walk if they can help it, and my guide, Gok Sardar, a celebrated raider, declared he had not been so far on foot since he was a boy, and felt quite knocked up.”; p. 226 (Febr. 13, 1885): “Had all ready for start, and began to strike tents, when Gok Sardar, who is our principal guide, came and begged me to stay. It had snowed during the night, and snow was still falling. As I knew Yate was anxious to stay a day, consented.”
• Yate, C.E. (1888): Northern Afghanistan or Letters from the Afghan Boundary Commission, p. 232: the story of the Turkoman raid of the Uzbek village Ata Khan Khoja in 1887, as told by Kok Sirdar, “We were a party of 500 horsemen, and 200 mirgans or matchlockmen on camels; and passing down through the chul, viâ Chan Ata Murad, we arrived at Chashma Pinhan. Here one of our scouts brought us news that an alaman of 50 Kara Turkomans was encamped at Kara Baba. We at once swept down on them. We found them all dismounted and unprepared, and charging down only ten of them succeeded in reaching their horses and escaping; three were shot, and the remainder were all taken prisoners. We kept their horses and arms, &c.; but the men were subsequently let go, and found their way home through Andkhui. It was early spring-time, and the snow was not yet all melted. After this we went on to Yarghan Chakli and Kiamat Shor, and on the third day we attacked Jalaiar. We first surrounded and then stormed the place: there were only some fifty families of Usbegs in it. One man was killed; but the resistance was trifling, and the place was soon cleared. The men, women, and children were bound on the camels, and we all went straight on to the attack of Ata Khan Khojah. Here we found some twenty-five families, and the place was soon razed and the people bound and sent off with the rest to Pekenna. There we halted for two days, watering and resting our horses. On the third day the prisoners and plunder were all sent off with half the footmen to Khwajah Gogirdeak, while we all went to Alai Chalai, and thence swept down to Kilah Wali, we rejoined the others at Khwajah Gogirdak. The male prisoners were let go; but the women, children, and cattle, &c., were then divided by lot amongst all the different leaders. I myself had ten men under me, and to our lot fell three women, one child, four cows, two horses, and some personal property. The women were good-looking, and ought to have been sold for 35 to 40 tillahs apiece (say Rs. 200 on an average); but when we got back to Yulatan, the headmen of the tribe assembled and decided to release the women and children, and consequently our three women and the child were taken from us and sent back through Panjdeh. The only result of our foray, therefore, was 140 krans, the proceeds of the sale of the horses and cows, &c. – of which 40 krans fell to my share, and 10 krans (Rs. 4) to each of my men. This was all we got for sixteen days’ hard work. Truly, raiding was most unprofitable work. […]”; p. 392: “[…] There we found Gok Sirdar, our old Turkoman guide, and various Persian servants sent down with some tents by General MacLean from Mashhad to meet us, and we soon settled down into camp life again. […]”

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