" THE WILD VALLEY " OF BANNU 95
the affected places no longer give help against the raiders,
as they used to formerly, before certain sections of the
Frontier Crimes Regulation Act were repealed, and that
has encouraged the raiders. While that may be true, let
me warn you that if you depend for your protection on
the armed assistance of others you must be prepared,
sooner or later, to accept the domination of these defend-
ers. Of course, you are entitled to learn the art of defend-
ing yourselves with arms. You must develop a sense of
co-operation. In no case should you be guilty of cowardice,
Self-defence is everybody's birth-right. I do not want to
see a single coward in India.
" The fourth alternative is that of non-violent
approach, which I am here before you to suggest. It is
the surest and infallible method of self-defence. If I had
my way, I would go and mix with the tribes and argue
it out with them and I am sure they won't be impervious
to the argument of love and reason. But I know, today
that door is shut to me. The Government won't permit
me to enter the tribal territory.
" The tribesman cannot be the bogey-man that he is
represented to be. He is a human being just, like you
and me and capable of responding to the human touch
which has hitherto been conspicuous by its absence in
dealing with them. A number of Waziris came and saw"
me today at noon. I did not find that their nature was
essentially different from human nature elsewhere.
" Man's nature is not essentially evil. Brute nature
has been known to yield to the influence of love. You
must never despair of human nature. You are a com-
munity of traders. Do not leave out of your traffic that
noblest and most precious of merchandise, viz., love. Give
to the tribesmen all the love that you are capable of, and
you will have theirs in return.
" To seek safety by offering blackmail or ransom to
the raiders would be a direct invitation to them to repeat
their depredations and would be demoralizing alike to the
giver and the tribesmen. Instead of offering them money,,
the rational course would be to raise them above penury