It is my opinion that when the time comes the attack
will be by sea from some naval base on the Persian Gulf. It is a mere
matter of time till Persia is the Tsar's territory, and then they may
begin to think about invasion."
"You think the northern road impossible! I suppose you ought to know."
"I do, and I have some reason for my opinion. I know Afghanistan and
Chitral as few Europeans know it."
"But what about Bardur, and this Kashmir frontier? I can understand the
difficulties of the Khyber, but this Kashmir road looks promising."
Marker laughed a great, good-humoured, tolerant, incredulous laugh. "My
dear sir, that's the most utter nonsense. How are you to bring an army
over a rock wall which a chamois hunter could scarcely climb? An
invading army is not a collection of winged fowl. I grant you Bardur is
a good starting-point if it were once reached. But you might as well
think of a Chinese as of a Russian invasion from the north. It would be
a good deal more possible, for there is a road to Yarkand, and
respectable passes to the north-east. But here we are shut off from the
Oxus by as difficult a barrier as the Elburz. Go up and see. There is
some shooting to be had, and you will see for yourself the sort of
country between here and Taghati."
"But people come over here sometimes."
"Yes, from the south, or by Afghanistan.
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