252 _ INDIAN 



A Brahmin is sent for, who writes down 

 all the names of the people in the house 

 or who are suspected; the next day 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 pipped, or banyan tree ; at the time 

 of delivering it, the Brahmin puts his right 

 hand on each persons head and 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, mas- 

 ticated. 



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 



