222 INDIAN CUSTOMS. 



he consecrates a piece of ground, by covering it 

 with cow dung and water, over which he says a 

 long prayer; the people then assemble on this 

 spot in a line facing the Brahmin, who has with 

 him some dry rice, of which he delivers to each 

 person the weight of a four cornered rupee, or 

 that quantity weighed with the sacred stone called 

 Salgram, which is deposited in a leaf of the 

 pippal, or banyan tree ; at the time of delivering 

 it, the Brahmin puts his right hand on each 

 person's head arid repeats a short prayer, and, 

 when finished, he directs them all to chew the 

 rice, which, at a given time, must be produced on 

 the leaves, masticated. 



The person or persons whose rice is not 

 thoroughly masticated, or exhibits any blood with 

 it, is considered guilty. The faith they all have 

 of the power of the Brahmin, and a guilty con- 

 science operating at the same time, suppresses the 

 natural flow of saliva to the mouth, without which, 

 the hard particles of the rice bruise and cut the 

 gums, causing them to bleed, which they them- 

 selves are sensible of, and in most instances con- 

 fess the crime. 



A gold Mohur that had lain a long time in an 

 open writing desk being missing, I ordered a 



