98 ON THE SANTHALS 



Mohammedans. The Hindoos are about four to one of 

 the Mahoinmedans, who are the descendants of the old 

 Moguls or Mouguls, abhorring the religion of the Hin- 

 doos, and most numerous in the eastern districts ; the Hin- 

 doos predominate in central India, and the aboriginal stocks 

 in the hilly districts of the north, the southern portions, 

 and Ceylon. At the beginning of the Christian era Buddh- 

 ism prevailed, but was largely supplanted by Brahman- 

 ism after 500 A. D. About 1590 the country was con- 

 quered by the Mahommedan emperor Akbar, and became 

 a part of the Great Mogul empire, with a mixture of the 

 three religions, though chiefly Buddhist. Since 1757 when 

 the native ruler was defeated by Lord Clive, it has been 

 under the rule of the English. Most of the pre-Aryan 

 tribes, originally pantheists, had been more or less modi- 

 fied in their religion by their successive conquerors. 



The Santhals, like the Israelites, are divided into twelve 

 tribes, and each tribe into twelve stocks or families ; every 

 child on the fourth day after birth is made a member of its 

 family by a pagan baptism, with the sprinkling of water 

 and the juice of fruit, in the presence of the people. 



Their land is a rather sterile mountain region, and there- 

 fore agriculture and the raising of cattle, which should be 

 their chief occupations, are not extensively pursued. On 

 the plains and in the valleys there are three seasons : 1. 

 The hot from the middle of March to the middle of June, 

 with a heat of 100° Fahr. in the shade, sometimes rising 

 to 130°, when hot winds blow over the land. The latitude 

 is about 25° N. ; 2. The rainy season, after this, until 

 into September, when the air, especially in the wooded 

 districts, is sultry and unhealthy, and poisonous vermin 

 swarm; 3. The cool season, from September to March 

 in which occur the harvests. The first crop, that of maize, 

 is gathered at the end of the rainy season, in the middle 



