DACOITISM. 41 



than one impecunious Rajah, who, under the cloak of 

 devotion to Kali, did not disdain to share the spoil, or 

 accept tribute from its chiefs, in exchange for protec- 

 tion and permission to live in the territory. Since 

 then, however, thanks, in the first place, to Lord Ben- 

 tinck's energetic measures, the British authorities have 

 successfully battled with that as with other crimes. 

 An interesting chapter on the subject will be found 

 in Col. Sleeman's " Bambles and Becollections of an 

 Indian Oificial." 



I may here mention another plague of the period, 

 although quite unconnected with Jubbulpore, and 

 probably an offspring of the ferocious Pindharees — 

 small armies of robbers, who infested every part oi 

 the Deccan until 1818, when Sir John Malcolm put 

 them down — namely, the Dacoit, or freebooter, who 

 carried on depredations on a large scale ; he like- 

 wise had his association, and its members were 

 followers of Doorga, the protecting deity of thieves. 

 Their habits during the day were mostly those of 

 agriculturists, devoting the night to plunder some 

 wealthy dealer or money-lender, generally under the 

 guidance of a professional leader. An expedition 

 seldom counted less than two or three scores of men, 

 who, having reached the appointed village, soon 

 completed their work, and decamped as mysteriously 



