184 Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengat. [ August, 1905. 
floor and the first load of threshed grain is being carried to the 
house to be stored, the housewife will come out to meet the labourer 
who is carrying the load. She has in her hand a lota of water, and 
with this she walks around the man carrying the grain and ‘does. 
obeisance to the grain. This respect is paid to the first load of 
grain only. 
49, Cause and Cure of Styes—There is a wide-spread belief 
that styes are caused by seeing a dog in the act of defcecating. 
And there are several remedies employed to remove a stye. One 
of the most common remedies is connected with the Dal/han Pahar, 
the hill which occupies such a prominent position as a geooraphi- 
cal feature of the district. This hill may be seen at a distance 
of filty or eighty miles. The peak of the hill seen at a distance 
just. appearing above the horizon has some resemblance to a stye. 
The belief is that if a person suffering from a stye should face this. 
mountain and say, ‘“ Dalhan Pahar chota mor sulie bara” (the 
Dalhan Hill is small, my stye is big) the hill will be annoyed, the- 
stye will be pleased, and as a result the stye will disppear. Some 
say that while saying these words, the afflicted person should rub 
the third finger of the right hand in the palm of the left hand and 
apply the finger to the stye. It is also customary to take a grain 
of the wild rice, apply it to the stye, and then throw it away. As 
the grain decays the stye will disappear. 
"50. Saluting at Lamp-light.—lt is customary amongst the 
Satnamies for the menials and subordinates to salute a superior 
when the lamp is first lighted at dusk. I was once seated outside 
a tent with a number of villagers around me, when the servant 
lighted the lamp and placed it on the table inside the tent. 
Immediately all the villagers arose and said “ Satnam” to me and 
then resumed their seats. Being a stranger to the people at that 
time, I was completely taken aback ; but on inquiry I learned that 
this is a common practice. Now I have come to look for the saluta- 
tion under similar circumstances. The entry of the lamp is 
considered the ushering in of a new period of time, and hence the- 
people ‘‘ wish you the time.” 
51. Concerning Mecting and Entertaining.—It is an invariable 
practice when relatives come together who have not met for a long 
while, for the womenfolk to weep and wail loudly. A son has 
been away for months and returns to his parents’ house. He will 
first go and touch the feet of his father and mother. When he has 
been seated, the mother and sisters come to him and each in turn, 
placing both hands on his shoulders, weeps loudly and in a 
wailing tone narrates anything special that has taken place in his. 
absence. 
To a stranger it would seem that a great loss has befallen 
them. A daughter would be welcomed in the same way. Fre- 
quently I have mistaken the weeping of meeting for that of 
mourning. Experience, however, has taught me to distinguish the- 
two kinds of wailing. When anyone goes as a guest to a friend’s 
house, he partakes of the usual food prepared by the family. When. 
the people who are entertaining prepare some specially good food,. 
