1837.] An Account of the Tribe of Mhadeo Kolies. Ill 



searches about with his hand in the boiling oil, till he has found all he 

 put in, after which the remaining cakes and meat are cooked in the 

 same way. The guests having seated themselves on the floor, the mem- 

 bers of the family, who had been very busy cooking breakfast for all 

 the people present, are now ready to serve it out, and only wait to do so 

 until the Deolushy presents each person with a small quantity of that 

 which he cooked, and which is considered consecrated. "When the 

 feast is finished, the master of the house requests the Deolushy to say, 

 if every thing has been properly conducted ; the Deolushy remarks 

 that, as the sickness has disappeared, and the peace offering has been 

 suitably tendered and accepted, they ought to show their gratitude to 

 the deity, and be most particular in making him a similar offering 

 every third year — at all events once in every four or five years. He 

 particularly impresses on them the necessity of their acting conform- 

 ably to this advice ; he then presents them with some ashes from 

 his censer, and tells them to rub a little of them on the forehead 

 of the person that had been unwell, and to put a little into his mouth ; 

 he now receives a small fee, or is presented with a turban worth a 

 rupee or a rupee and a half, and takes his departure. 



If the Deolushy found the oil insufferably hot, when he introduced 

 his hand, he called out in a stentorian voice that their proceedings had 

 been polluted, and that they must recommence the operation. He 

 would likewise show symptoms of disappointment and of great dis- 

 pleasure. If a spectator expresses his surprize at the Deolushy's 

 hand not being burnt by the oil, the Deolushy takes his hand, telling 

 him not to be alarmed, but to allow him to prove that the danger is not 

 great. The man, to his astonishment, finds the boiling oil perfectly 

 innocuous, and not warmer than fresh milk from the cow. 



The Deolushy, being considered possessed v/ith the god Heerobbah 

 during this ceremony, and therefore gifted with oracular powers, if any 

 present should have left relatives ill at home, or cattle sickly or dying, 

 or should they have incurred any very serious loss or injury, they ask 

 the Deolushy, to inform them of the cause for such misfortune. He 

 tells them that Heerobbah is offended with them, or that they made a 

 vow to Bhoany which they have neglected to fulfil ; or he may say that 

 his god is not displeased with them, so they had better consult some 

 other deity. 



The Deolushies are considered to possess specially the power of 

 detecting the evil practices of witches and conjurers ; but, as they are 

 not all equally talented and cunning in their art, their answers are not 

 always received with implicit faith ; therefore if the conduct of a person 

 is to be searched into, several Deolushies are in the course of time 

 questioned, and if their answers corroborate each other, it is concluded 

 that the conduct of the suspected person is such as to justify their shun- 

 ning his society. They are also consulted about absent friends, and 

 thieves, and the recovery of stolen property. The thief sometimes 



