HOW I KILLED THE TIGER. 49 



use, for there is mention of iron armour, of 

 arrows tipped with steel, and Porus gave thirty 

 pounds of steel to Alexander. They had a 

 knowledge of the sea; had halls of justice and 

 halls and chambers of sacrifice, but apparently 

 no temples or images. Women held a high social 

 position. The Rishi and his wife converse on 

 equal terms, go together to the sacrifice, 

 and practise austerities together. Lonely 

 maidens go in procession, and grown-up 

 daughters remain without reproach in their 

 father's house. But we read of drunkenness, 

 polygamy, cheating, gambling, abandoning of 

 children, thieves, courtesans, and eunuchs. 



Kakshivat, an illustrious Rishi, marries ten 

 sisters at once, and polyandry seems to have 

 prevailed, for in an allegory, Kakshivat says, 

 " Aswins, your admirable (horses) bore the car, 

 which you had harnessed, (first) to the goal, for 

 the sake of honour, and the damsel, who was 

 the prize, came through affection to your 

 (husbandship) saying, you are my lords." 



Mr. Wheeler says that the worship of the 

 Arians, in the times of their approaching the 

 Punjab, seems to have been simple, patriarchal, 

 and conducted by the father of the family ; to 

 have been a worship of fire, and subsequently 

 they personified the earth, sky, food, wine, 



