1835.] Stevenson's account of the P'hansigars. 257 



weight of his body on the noose ; and a very few. se- 

 conds puts an end to the unfortunate man's struggles. 

 The plan generally adopted by the P'hansigdrs is to pre- 

 tend to travellers, or to Company's sipahis proceeding 

 to their homes on leave of absence, to have met them 

 by chance, and to agree to pursue their journey together. 

 They likewise fall into conversation with travellers whom 

 they may meet on the road, or in the choultries and 

 halting-places, and frequently share their provisions 

 with them, proposing, at last, that, as they are all tra- 

 velling the same road, they should, for the sake of com- 

 panionship and mutual security, travel together. The 

 first favourable opportunity that offers itself on the road 

 is seized to murder the deluded traveller ; but so cau- 

 tious and wary is the P'hansigdr, that he will often ac- 

 company his victim several days' march before he can 

 find a place and an opportunity sufficiently safe for hia 

 purpose. 



Another mode of luring the traveller to his destruc- 

 tion is by the assistance of a woman. They select a 

 pretty-looking girl of their tribe, and place her near 

 some retired road, where she watches until she observes 

 an object of prey fit for her purpose. She has a pitiful 

 story ready to explain the cause of her having been left 

 thus alone in the jungles, and seldom fails to interest 

 the unfortunate listener, who almost always falls into 

 the snare that is laid for him. The girl sometimes ex- 

 cites his passions, and having seduced him into a fa- 

 vourable spot, herself fastens the fatal noose, her com- 

 panions being always near enough to afford timely aid. 

 The traveller, if mounted, \n\\ perhaps oiler to take the 

 girl up on his horse, to assist her in overtaking the par- 

 ty she says she has lost ; but before he has advanced 

 many paces, the murderess casts tlic snare round his 

 neck^ and^ throwing her.^elf from tlic liovse, drags hov 



