INDIA 



211 



madness, far from preventing them, applaud them heartily, and regard them as the very acme 

 of devotion. Some devotees are to be met with who make a vow to walk with bare feet on 

 burning coals. Very few escape from the ordeal with their feet uninjured. Others pierce both 

 cheeks with silver wire. Thus bridled, the mouth cannot be opened without acute pain. Many 

 havo been known to travel for twenty miles with these wires in their jaws. Some fanatics will 

 cut out half their tongue. Again, there are others who bind themselves to go on a pilgrimage 

 to some distant shrine by measuring their length along the ground throughout the whole 

 distance. Beginning at their very doors, the pilgrims stretch themselves on the ground, 

 rise again, advance two steps, again lie down, again rise, and continue this until they reach 

 their destination. 



In India there are thousands of men living a life of religious contemplation who never do 

 any work, but are supported by alms. Fakir is one of the names by which these holy men 

 are known (see illustrations on pages 199, 200, 202, and 203). They sit under trees or 

 among the tombs, or live together in monasteries. They are not all of one religion; for while 

 some are Hindus, others are Sikhs, or even Mohammedans. According to Mr. William Crooke, 

 however, the fakir is often an "idle, loafing vagabond, who wanders about the country begging 

 alms. In the North-western Provinces there are no less than 2,000,000 of these sturdy 

 beggars." It is only fair, however, to add (as Mr. Crooke himself informs us) that there is 

 another class of fakirs who 

 live in monasteries, devoting 

 themselves to religious 

 meditation, and who do not 

 beg. Many of them are 

 quiet and worthy people. 



The Egyptians con- 

 sidered that to kill, even by 

 accident, one of their sacred 

 animals was the most heinous 

 of crimes. Whoever was 

 guilty of such an act was 

 invariably put to death. A 

 Roman soldier was torn in 

 pieces by the populace, in 

 spite of the terror that the 

 name of Rome inspired, for 

 having by mischance killed 

 a cat. Diodorus, who records 

 this incident, also mentions 

 that daring the famine the 

 Egyptians preferred to devour 

 each other rather than touch 

 the animals they held sacred. 

 The Hindus would also carry 

 their scruples to the same 

 point. In whatever straits 

 they may be, they would 

 prefer to die rather than 

 save their lives by killing 

 cattle. From this we may 

 conclude that, though they 



daily witness the slaughter n , ito , HJ ,. A .,,, ,.,,,, ,., 

 "f the sacred animals by NATIVES FROM THE AFGHAX-HALUCH FRONTIER. 



