183/.] An Account of the Tribe of Mhadeo Kolies. 79 



filling a brass or copper cup with water, placing their hands on it, and 

 repeating the names of all their gods — this they term Pruvopyah. 



When any serious quarrel or feud has been settled between these 

 Kolies, they seal their reconciliation by drinking some Koossomb, 

 which is merely a little opium dissolved in water. They are partial to 

 opium, and very fond of spiritous liquors. They are enterprising, bold 

 and most desperate thieves and plunderers ; yet they seldom commit 

 murder, unless they are attacked, or resistance is offered to them. 



The Puttunwarriah Kolies reside in the district around Puttun, and 

 between the Surrasswutty and Bunnass rivers. I have mentioned be- 

 fore that they do not rank so high as the Tullubdah Kolies ; this is on 

 account of their partaking of the flesh of buffaloes. They are dis- 

 persed over the southern districts of Guzerat, to the vicinity of the 

 Nurbudah, and in many places are numerous. They are cultivators 

 and labourers, and occasionally employed as watchmen of villages, &c. 

 They worship the same gods as the Tullubdahs, and differ little from 

 them in respect to character. The Kakrez Kolies inhabit the district 

 of that name, to the north west of the Bunnass river. They are nume- 

 rous, and are bold and enterprising plunderers. The Dhandhar Kolies 

 reside in the district of that name, of which Phanlanpoor is the chief 

 town. They are a daring and wild people. The Bubbriah Kolies oc- 

 cupy the southern portion of the peninsula of Kattywai. 



The tract occupied by the Mhadeo Kolies and their origin. 



In the following pages, I purpose giving an account of the tribe of 

 Mhadeo Kolies, who reside in the valleys on the east side of the 

 Syhadry range of mountains, extending from Moossa, south-west of 

 Poona, northward to Trimbuck, the source of the Godavery river, and 

 lying between the 181° and the 20° degrees of north latitude, and 73! 

 and 74 east longitude. 



These small valleys are formed by masses or groups of rugged hills, 

 and less lofty ranges, that diverge laterally in an easterly direction 

 from the main chain of mountains, and are known to the inhabitants 

 by the names of Mawills, Khorahs, Nahirs and Dougs — that is, valleys, 

 glens, straths and wilds. They vary considerably in configuration and 

 extent, and, at the distance of ten, fifteen, and twenty miles from the 

 crest of the Syhadry range, they gradually expand into the spacious 

 plains of the Dukhun, when the collateral branches and groups of hills, 

 within the before defined limits, may be said to terminate, with the ex- 

 ception of the low, irregular branch, that protrudes from the north of 

 Joonere, and runs along to the south of the Moolla river, but diverges 

 much in its advance to Ahmudnuggur, after which it stretches, in a 



