162 



Travels in India. 



Part n. 



than kill the fmalleft Animal or Vermin that crawls ; being in that point above 

 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 Rafpoute, becaufe 

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



The fourth Cafte is l'haï of the Charados or Soudras ; who go to War as 

 well as the Rdfpomes, but with this difference, that the Rafpomes fcrve on Horfe- 

 back, and the Charados on Foot. Both of them take it for an Honour to dye 

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

 that retreats in Fight ; 'tis an eternal blot in his Family. Upon which fubjecb 

 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 consideration of the grief which it would oc- 

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

 of his flight, as foon as he came to the door, fhe {hut it againft him, and or- 

 der'd him to be told, that fhe could never acknowledg that man for £ Husband, 

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

 defire to fee him any more, as being a ftain to the Reputation of her Family j 

 and that fhe 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 affecYion, return'd to the Army, where he fo behav'd 

 himfelfj 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 receiv'd him 

 with her former kindnefs. 



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

 are call'd Rauz^ecour. Thefe are fuch as employ themfelves in Handicraft Trades 9 

 among which there is no other diftincYion, 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 ; nor marry either Son or 

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

 all thofe of his own Trade accompany the Corps to the place where it is burnt : 

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



Among the particular Cafies, there is one that goes by the name of Alecorsl 

 whofe employment is only to clean Houfes ; for which every Family pays him 

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

 of quality in 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 h imfelf affronted, it being one of the greateft fcorns 

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

 Servants knows his bufinefs ; 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 it j fo that if the Mafter fhould bid one to do that which the other was ap- 

 pointed to do, that Servant would ftand like a Statue, and never make him 

 any anfwer. But for the Slaves, they are oblig'd to do what ever the Mafter 

 commands them. Thefe Alacors having no other bufinefs but only to make 

 clean the Houfes, eat the fcraps of all the other Cafies j and fb without fcruple 

 feed upon any thing. There are none but thofe of this Tribe make ufè of Affes, 

 to carry away the filth of the Houfes into the Feilds j for which reafon none of 

 the reft of the Indians will fo much as touch that Animal $ which is quite Of- 

 therwife in Perfia, as well for carriage, as to ride upon. Moreover, there arc 

 none of the other Indians, except the Alacors that will eat Pig, 



i 



CHAP. 



