shortly after the king's return, complaints reach his ear that he has spent on his tour money which could ill be spared from the public treasury. he silences such murmurings by pointing out that he has brought back presents far outweighing in value the expense of the tour. he can also boast truly that he has made afghanistan known to the world as a country with great potentialities, and one whose friendship is worth cultivating. among the definite results of his trip he is able to announce the impending conclusion of treaties with thirteen states, agreements with french and german companies to undertake a survey preparatory to the construction of a railroad linking kabul, kandahar, herat, and kushk, and the acquisition of over 50,000 rifles, over 100 cannon, six model machine guns, six tanks, and five armoured cars. the bulk of this armament, however, does not reach afghanistan within the year. king amanullah's tour has impressed on him more strongly than ever the advantages of european civilization. contact with the great personages of the west has put a keen edge upon his reforming zeal, and he is determined to follow as closely as possible in the footsteps of his distinguished co-religionist, mustafa kemal of turkey. dazzled by the latter's success, he overlooks the fact that there is a fundamental difference between turkey and afghanistan: the turks are a fairly homogeneous people with a long tradition of obedience to a central authority, whereas the afghans are a conglomeration of diverse tribes accustomed to a certain measure of autonomy and attached to their local customs. he is advised by the foreigners at his court and the most prudent of his counsellors to proceed slowly with his reforms, but in his eagerness to westernize the country he resolves to make the pace even more rapidly than his turkish confrère. the first fruits of the tour are made apparent to their subjects a few days after their return when the queen sits through a state banquet without the "purdah" or religious veil. the mullahs are greatly scandalized and remonstrate with the king. he points out to them that the working women in the villages do not wear the "purdah", and bids them see to their own flocks. they are nonplussed for the moment, but are nevertheless reconciled to the king's innovations.