in the Lower Valley of the Indus and Cutchi. 25 
their classification, that they would provide materials for a 
chapter by themselves ;—some even carry their effrontery so 
far as to travel mounted and fully armed. Such a vagrant 
character is not likely to go away empty-handed ! 
The arms of the Bilichis are the matchlock, sword, and 
shield, in the use of which they are very expert, though they 
pride themselves particularly, and trust implicitly, to the 
sword. Their country is considered famous for its breed of 
horses; and though these are large and powerful animals, 
their paces, of a fast walk and shuffling amble, are intolerable 
to a European; they themselves, however, invariably use 
mules, or a small description of pony, called in the country 
a jaba, very useful, and wonderfully enduring animals. The 
marauding clans ride only mares, to prevent the noise which 
horses make when together. The distances these little in- 
significant-looking animals will carry a heavy armed man, 
are incredible ; and some of their chapaos or forays prove in- 
contestably that no breed of horse, except, perhaps, the 
Turkoman, could beat them at this kind of work; yet are 
they kept half-starved, and, to all appearance, quite unfit for 
exertion. The author recollects, on one occasion, having to 
ride a distance of forty miles express, and had, therefore, a 
relay of three horses to do the distance: he was accompanied 
by a Bilachi guide, mounted as described, who laughed 
heartily at the quantity of horses required to do what he per- 
formed with one sorry looking brute, riding in advance the 
whole way, his steed shewing no symptoms of distress at the 
journey’s end. On another occasion, a party of Hindostan 
horsemen, in pursuit of a predatory band, disabled twenty- 
eight horses, and left three dead on the field, in vainly at- 
tempting to catch these Biltchis. As the Bilich, in his 
boasted character of soldier and robber, is so intimately con- 
nected with his steed, this digression may be excused. The 
chiefs ride well-trained camels of the Mekran and Malwah 
breeds, but principally the former, which are much prized. 
One of the great propensities of the Sindhian Bilichis, is 
their immoderate love of field sports. The chiefs, it is true, 
set the example, by making them the all-absorbing occupa- 
_ tions of their lives, appropriating extensive and valuable por- 
