<^C^<^l^<^<<^C^«^5^<^<«^ AMANULLAH quite ready to exercise that power even in the shedding of blood for the cause that they believed to be in affinity with the commands of the Prophet. Amanullah knew all that* He had never under- estimated this possible rival power as he had under- estimated the fighting qualities of the British. And perhaps he knew already that eventually there would be a struggle between the power that was ordained by custom, and the new power that he wished to exercise over his people* He had already made concessions in his conscience to the power of the Church, Never a highly religious man, he seemed to accede to the wishes of the mullahs only when he saw that course was the inevitable. He was willing to use the religious fervour of his people to support his own proposals, as he had done when he had first considered the possibility of war with the British. Then he had stressed the religious duty of Afghans to oppose the hated feringhe. The mullahs had been his allies. The ruse had worked, and he had found under his command hundreds and thousands of men who truly believed that they were instructed by Mahomed to lay waste the ranks of infamy in khaki uniforms and pith topees. An old belief of the Afridi tribesman was resurrected for the occasion. This was no less than a theory that the feringhe were unclean in the sight of Allah, and that the depletion of their numbers even by one caused the Prophet intense satisfaction. Hence, said the priests, the World War, which had rid the world for Allah of millions of infidels, while it was notable that the Creator had exempted from the slaughter all those who had embraced the Islamic faith. The statement may have contained some licence, only permissible by reason of its 64