in the Lower Valley of the Indus and Cutchi. 399 



dalism. As our object is, however, rather to inquire into the 

 present condition of this people, as presented to our view, 

 than to discuss points which may be considered after all to 

 have secondary or antiquarian interest, we may proceed to 

 describe the Biltichis as they are, or lately were, for with 

 many of them a new order of things has arisen within these 

 two years, and causes are at work which may possibly have a 

 great effect ultimately on their moral and social condition. 



The first great feature of the Biliichis, is their intricate 

 division and subdivision into numerous Koums or tribes, and 

 these again are subbivided into almost endless families or 

 minor parties. Each tribe acknowledges implicitly the autho- 

 rity of a chief, which office is hereditary. The attachment, 

 amounting to devotion, paid by this people to their chiefs, is 

 manifested on every occasion whether of peace or war, and a 

 true patriarchal system is thus perpetuated. But the tribes 

 are by no means unanimous amongst themselves ; on the con- 

 trary, it is difficult to find any two who are not at feud with 

 their neighbours, and a great many have blood quarrels, which 

 are perpetuated by continued acts of violence, for a blood 

 feud can never sleep, and it is said that a Biluch never fore- 

 goes his revenge, though for mutual advantages these feuds 

 sometimes slumber, and are relinquished for a certain period, 

 and seasons are agreed upon between parties for mutual ad- 

 vantages, wherein they abstain from violence ; but on the ex- 

 piration of these, the old state of deadly animosity is revived 

 with increased bitterness, and a condition of society therefore 

 exists, which is analogous to that of the Arabs and w41d tribes 

 of other countries. This, however, does not prevent this 

 people from amalgamating to meet a common foe ; their pri- 

 vate sources of quarrel are in such cases kept in abeyance, 

 and as a proof of this, the British troops in the course of our 

 campaigns beyond the Indus, often found that Biltichi tribes, 

 who were well known to be at most deadly feud with each 

 other, had joined in meeting the British bayonets in the va- 

 rious terrific defiles and passes which the Biliichis held as 

 their own unaleniable right and property. 



There are no less than fifty-eight distinct tribes branching 



VOL. XXXVII. NO. LXXIV. OCTOBER 1844. 2 C 



