THE BHILS OF KHANDESH 



and wilder portion of the district. They are quite distinct 

 from any other race in India, and are the true aborigines 

 of their country. The typical Khandesh Bhil, the wild 

 woodsman of the Satpuda mountains, is a dark, well-made, 

 active and hardy individual, with high cheek-bones, wide 

 nostrils, and almost African in feature. His dialect is a 

 mixture of Hindustani and Marathi with Guzeratti ter- 

 minations. 



Strong believers in witchcraft, they have " Barvas," 

 or hereditary sorcerers, whom they consult on all occasions, 

 particularly when planning some plundering raid, and whose 

 advice they invariably follow. Great attention is paid to 

 omens, as, for instance, if a bird screams on the left, or a 

 fox or snake crosses the path and escapes, there will be 

 no success that day. On the other hand, should a bird 

 call on the right or a dead snake be seen, the enterprise 

 will end successfully. 



In character they are thriftless, addicted to drinking 

 spirits, and as a rule averse to steady work, but on the whole 

 the Bhils as a people are simple, honest and faithful, and 

 above all, excellent sportsmen, their love of jungle life and 

 skill as shikaris being evidently inherent, for in all my long 

 experience of them I never met a Bhil who was not possessed 

 of all the qualities which contribute to the making of a good 

 shikari, and as to their honesty, I can say with absolute 

 truth that during the many years I passed amongst them 

 I never missed the value of so much as a rupee. 



The Hindu legend of their origin is that of an union of 

 the god Mahadoo with a beautiful woman, name apparently 

 unknown. The result of this union was several sons, 

 amongst them one ill-favoured and vicious, whose sins 

 culminated in killing his father's favourite bull. For this 

 offence he was banished an outcast to the hills and there 

 became the founder of the Bhils. The word Bhil being 

 derived, as is supposed, from the Dravidian " Billi," mean- 

 ing a bow. 



It was not until I was appointed to succeed Oliver 

 Probyn as Bhil Agent and Tiger Slayer to Government, as 

 will be referred to later, that I learnt more of these very 

 interesting people, a further description of whom and of 

 my duties in the above dual capacities will be given later. 



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