153 



History of the Ramoossies, 



[April 



family to retire to conceal themsel\ es before the robbers can enter^ 

 hoping that they will be able more readily to excite the sympathy 

 and compassion of the members of the gang, and more quickly pa- 

 cify them. When those perceive that they can range about the 

 dwelling without danger to themselves, they are less likely to treat 

 the alarmed and weeping females with severity and rigour ; often 

 have I heard persons describe or rather attempt to describe the a- 

 gonizing feelings, which both themselves and their females experi- 

 enced when they saw the band of robbers enter the house and rush- 

 ing to seize them. What must be the state of the husband when 

 he beholds his wife or daughter whom he loves and adores, writhing 

 under the tortures of these ruffians. When the gang have collect- 

 ed all the property they consider worth their trouble to carry away^ 

 five or six of the most active of the robbers remain in the house, or 

 at the entrance, as a guard over the people, till the rest of the party 

 have moved off by a different road from that by which they came and 

 have got to the distance of five or six hundred yards, and then this 

 rear guard retreat with as much rapidity as they can in an opposite 

 direction, and rejoin their friends at the place previously settled on. 

 They take up their jhoes and sword scabbards, and then set out 

 for their home, and make a division of the property very likely in a 

 ravine in the vicinity, from whence they disperse, every man proceed- 

 ing to his own house. 



The man who gave up his turban to be converted into torches, se° 

 cures the best turban he can find among the plundered property, — a 

 perquisite to which he is entitled, and it is always the same person 

 who devotes his turban to the flames, on such occasions. A rather 

 notorious character named Suttoo Bhandollkar, but nick-named Sut- 

 too jubber toottah, (from having received a wound in the jaw many 

 years' ago in a skirmish with the Nizam's troops near Parinda, and 

 who has sacrificed many an old turban in this way,) is at present in 

 the Poona Jail, having been a staunch and active friend of his old 

 companion Oomiah, during the late disturbance in the Poona district. 



Should the Naik who employed the gang, not have accompanied 

 them on their trip, the property is either taken to his house, or dis- 

 tributed among the party in some jungle, or ravine, at no very great 

 distance from his dwelling. The Naik, should he for his own securi- 

 ty deem it necessary, makes each man of the party take an oath 

 that he will abstain from touching spirituous liquor for the period of 

 one, two, or three months. This is in case they should, in a state of 

 intoxication begin to abuse each other, and disclose the robbery by 



