151 



History of the Ramoossies, 



[April 



secured any thing of value before they fled from the house, they 

 •will, probably, proceed to a neighbouring village, and phuider a 

 house, or shop, there, as an anterior movement to their returning to 

 their homes. I have known a gang of eighteen men visit three vil- 

 laoes successively, in this manner, in one night. 



When a gang has arrived within six or eight hundred yards of 

 the village in which the house is, they mean to attack, the portion 

 of them allotted to enter the house, take off their shoes, some' of 

 these tie their shoes in their waist, but the majority of them depo- 

 site them along with their sword scabbards in some bushep or grass 

 nigh at hand, for were they to take their shoes and scabbards with 

 them, some of them might be lost in the bustle that usually takes 

 place in such doings, and afterwards be recognised from the work- 

 manship, as belonging to some particular village, and ultimately 

 lead to the detection of the robbers ; moreover, the Ramoossies rec- 

 kon it unpropitious to enter a house on such an errand with their 

 shoes on. Those of the party who only carry sticks now collect 

 a parcel of stones of two or three pounds' weight each — which they 

 take with them to the village to be used as missiles. If the Ra- 

 moossies be of opinion that they will not be recognised, from the 

 village being a great distance from their homes, they do not muffle 

 up their faces, — otherwise they do so, — at all events the person who 

 is employed as spy on the occasion, keeps his face well wrapped up. 

 Thus far prepared, all of them turning towards the town, and look- 

 ing in the direction of the house they are going to assail (should it 

 be strong and they expect resistance) they throw themselves into a 

 supplicating posture, and making repeated obeisances, invoke the 

 tutelary spirit of the place to favor their undertaking, and crown 

 their exertions with complete success, that they may obtain a stock 

 of valuable articles to enable them to maintain themselves, and their 

 wives and children for a long time — one of the party having taken 

 off his turban, it is cut into three, five, or seven pieces, but never in- 

 to more — each piece being one and a half, three, or five cubits in 

 length.* These are twisted to form so many torches (Kakrahs Tem- 

 bahs) which are well moistened with the ghee they take along with 

 them. Turning their backs to the village, a couple of them hold a 

 cloth to shelter the person who has the tinder box, while he is strik- 

 ing fire, and lighting the torches, — but they are very cautious about 

 preventing the torches blazing into a flame, in case they should be 

 * They like odd numbers. 



