162 Travels in India. Part II 



than kill the fmalleft Animal or Vermin that crawls 5 being in that point abov 

 all things the molt zealous Obfervers of the Law. They never fight nor go 

 to War; neither will they eat or drink in the Houfe of a Rafponu becaufr 

 they kill the Victuals they eat, all but Cows, which thev never touch " 



The fourth Cafte is that of the Cbarados or Soudras\ who go to War as 

 well as the Kafpotttes, but with this difference, that the Rafpoutes fcrve on Hog- 

 back, and the Char ados on Foot. Both of them take it for an Honour to dve 

 in Battel j and let him be Horfe or Foot, that Soldier is accounted infamous 

 that retreats in Fight j 'tis an eternal blot in his Family. Upon which fubieft 

 I will tell you a ftory. A Soldier who was paflionately in love with his Wife 

 and reciprocally belov'd by her, had fled from the fight, not fo much out of 

 any fear of death, as out of a confideration of the grief which it would oc 

 caiion to his Wife, fhould he leave her a Widow. When (be knew the reafon 

 of his flight, as foon as he came to the door, me (hut it againft him, and or 

 der'd him to be told, that fhe could never acknowled? that man for a Husband 

 who had preferr'd the Love of a Woman before his Honour 5 that fhe did not 

 defire to fee him any more, as being a ftain to the Reputation of her Farmh- 

 and that (he would endeavour to teach her Children to have more courage than 

 their Father. The Wife continuing firm to her refolution, the Husband to re- 

 gain his Honour and her atfeftion, return'd to the Army, where he fb behav'd 

 lumfelf that he became famous; and having highly made amends for his Cow- 

 ardife, the door of his Houfe was again fet open, and his Wife received him 

 with her former kindnefs. 



The reft of the Natives, that are not reckon'd in the number of thefe Cafas 

 are call ^anjjecow. Thefe are fuch as employ themielves in Handicraft Trades - 

 among which there is no other diltindion, but according to the Trades which 

 they follow from Father to Son. So that a Taylor cannot prefer his Son but 

 only in his own Calling, though he be never fo rich 5 nor marry either Son or 

 Daughter, but to one of his own Craft. By the fame rule, when a Taylor dies 

 a " rl !°V f hls °^ n Trad e accompany the Corps to the place where it is burnt - 

 and the fame praftife is obferv'd in all other Trades. 



Among the particular Caftes, there is one that goes by the name of Peers' 

 vvhofe employment is only to clean Houfes j for which every Family pays him 

 fomething once a month, according to their proportion and quality. Ifaperfon 

 of quality m the Indies keeps fifty Servants, let him be Mahometan or Idola- 

 ter, there is not one of them will take a Befome in his hand to fweep the 

 Houfe ; for he would think himfclf affronted, it being one of the greateft fcorns 

 you can put upon an Indian, to call him AUcor. Befides, every one of thofe 

 Servants knows his bufinels , whether it be to carry the pot of Water to 

 drink by the way or to give his Mafter his Pipe of Tobacco when he calls 

 for 1 . i that it the Mafter fhould bid one to dj that which the other was ap 

 pointed to do, that Servant would ftand like a Statue, and never make h?m 

 any anfwer. But for the Slaves, they are obligM to do what .ever «£ 



ITSe^T ThCf £ i UC ° ri haVin ^ D0 "*' fcufinefs ■>" only mak 

 clean the Houfes, eat the fcraps of all the other Cafte s, and fo without fcruple 

 feed upon any thing. There are none but thofe of this Tribe make ufc of Affaf 



SeTeft Y I7l?5 d th ° f -n he r Boa& t int0 the Fdfds » for ^^L°[^f 



Serwlin p / Ti ! r f ° mUC - aS t0UCh that AnimaIj w Wch is quite 0- 



tnerwife in PerJU, as well for carnage, as to ride upon. Moreover there are 

 none of the other Indians, except the Motors that will eat Pig ' 



CHAP. 



