older faith, possibly satisfying his conscience by some
cunning interpretation of his favourite doctrine on
Fate, or “ Kismet.”
Thugs, however, be it stated, never attacked Europeans,
from fear of detection. Sometimes the crime was
committed by one, but usually they banded together
in gangs; and as the favourable moment depended
upon good or evil omens, such as the flight of a bird,
or other equally trivial incidents, many ingenious devices,
and frequently disguises, had to be adopted to
entrap their victim. A suitable spot having been
selected, the latter, under some pretence or other, was
wheedled into taking the chosen direction, when little
time was lost in despatching him into unknown
regions. The modus operandi was th a t of the Thug
seizing his dupe from behind by slipping a knotted
handkerchief round his neck, at the same time throwing
him on his face, and garotting him in the most
approved fashion, when, as soon as life was extinct,
the body was rifled and secretly buried in the jungle.*
Previous to 1831 Thuggeeism flourished undisturbed ;
n&yj is said to have been even countenanced by more
* “ Thuggee, in Hindi, means “ deceiver.” In Thug parlance the
“ inveigler ” was called “ Sotha; ” the “ strahgler,” “ Chuttote; ” the
“ victim,” “ bunij; ” the “ handkerchief,” “ roomal;” the “ pickaxe,”
“ nishan.”—Col. Meadows Taylor’s “ Seeta.”
than one impecunious Rajah, who, under the cloak, of
devotion to Kali, did not disdain to share the spoil, or
accept tribute from its chiefs, in exchange for protection
and permission to live in the territory. Since
then, however, thanks, in the first place, to Lord Ben-
tinck’s energetic measures, the British authorities have
successfully battled with that as with other crimes.
An interesting chapter on the subject will be found
in Col. Sleeman’s “ Rambles and Recollections of an
Indian Official.”
I may here mention another plague of the period,
although quite unconnected with Jubbulpore, and
probably an offspring of the ferocious Pindharees—
small armies of robbers, who infested every part oi
the Deccan until 1818, when Sir John Malcolm put
them down—namely, the Dacoit, or freebooter, who
carried on depredations on a large scale; he likewise
had his association, and its members were
followers of Doorga, the protecting deity of thieves.
Their habits during the day were mostly those of
agriculturists, devoting the night to plunder some
wealthy dealer or money-lender, generally under the
guidance of a professional leader. An expedition
seldom counted less than two or three scores of men,
who, having reached the appointed village, soon
completed their work, and decamped as mysteriously