These tribes refused to submit to the British, and instead sent
messengers to the Ameer of Afghanistan, asking him to help them.

They have spread a report among the hill tribes that the Ameer has asked
hostages from them, and will help them if the hostages are given.

A hostage is a person given and held under the laws of war, as a pledge.

For instance, if this report is true about the Ameer, it means that he
has asked that they shall give into his hands certain important leaders
of tribes, whose lives and liberty are very precious to the Afridis.
These people to be held by him until the war is over, as a guarantee
that he will receive his compensation for helping them to fight the
British.

[Illustration: NATIVE SOLDIERS IN INDIA.]

Hostages are always persons of high rank, and persons whose lives are
so precious that their people will not allow them to be sacrificed.

The giving of hostages is therefore considered the most binding form of
agreement between savage peoples.

In this instance, however, the story that the Ameer demanded hostages
does not appear to be true.

A later despatch says that the messengers sent by the Afridis and
Orakzais were turned back at Jelalabad, and ordered to leave the
country.