1837.] An Aceount of the Tribe of Mhadeo Kolies. 



271 



tray them ; this man detached a few Kolies disguised as Goossynes, 

 who gained information respecting the place of their retreat, and a de- 

 tachment that marched to apprehend them was so fortunate as to bring 

 them all prisoners to Joonere, where the five Silkundas were executed. 

 Bulwuntrow Beriah, brother-in-law to Nana Phurnavees, was soobahdar 

 of the district at the |jme,. and it is asserted Beriah became very unhap- 

 py after the execution of these men ; that either from remorse or some 

 other cause he had no peace of mind. Therefore in the hope of re-esta- 

 blishing the tranquillity and happiness that he had enjoyed, and of 

 which he had been latterly deprived, he erected a temple on the banks 

 of the river near Joonere, in which was placed as the object of wor- 

 ship a Pimah Lingh, or five stones representing the five Silkunda Kolies 

 who had been executed under his instructions, expecting that the sacri- 

 fices and prayers that might be offered at the shrine would tend to ren- 

 der him happier. 



At the above period there was one of the females of the Silkunda fa- 

 mily of Oottoor (Taie Silkunda) a clever, bold, and enterprising woman* 

 who had her name enrolled as one of the police sepoys of Joonere. 

 She never avoided her tour of duty, and when she appeared in public, 

 she always had her bow and arrow in her hand, and a couple of well 

 filled quivers strapped cross-wise on her back. 



The circumstance of seeing the son of Jovvjee Baumlay settled com- 

 fortably at Hajoor, led to some discontent and jealousy among the Koly 

 Naiks of the district. Tbe family of the Bhauggrah Patell of Deogowne 

 near Rajoornt the above period (the end of the year 1798), consisted 

 of three brothers, Govindjee, Myajee and Walloojee ; they were all 

 bold, active, and enterprising men, especially Walloojee. They avail- 

 ed themselves of the general feeling to assemble some Kolies, and 



* In 1831 at the time I was engaged superintending the operations carried on for sup-, 

 pressing the insurrection of the Ramoossies in the Poona collectorate. The civil autho-» 

 rity of the district granted passports to various persons who expressed an anxiety to obtain 

 leave to go in pursuit of the notorious Oomiah, in the hope of being able to capture him 

 and to secure the reward tendered for his apprehension. One of the most noted of these was 

 a widow named Luchmy Ghantighy ; she was a tall, stout woman, with coarse features 

 marked with the small pox, and of a daring and enterprising spirit. At the above period 

 she left Poona with a detachment of Sibundees or irregular sepoys, armed with matchlock 

 guns, and accompanied by a Brahmun accountant or man of business. Luchmy having 

 discarded her sarhy, attired herself in a pair of trowsers, an angrika (a long jacket) 

 and a waistband and turban. Like a native chieftain or soldier she had a sword stuck 

 in her waistband, and hev shield fastened on her back. Thus accoutred she led her 

 heroes forth and lost little or no time in commencing operations, conformably to the 

 good old Mahratta system of accusing and then extorting fines from suspected persons, 

 and such as were said to favour the Uamoossy insurgents. Those who were thus oppressed 

 by her fled to me at Sassoor to entreat for protection ; Luchmy, uncertain what these 

 complaints might lead to, repaired with her followers to Sassoor, and, by way of excusing 

 herself, said she could not control the persons that had engaged to serve her, and who, 

 it seemed, had unjustly levied some money from the villagers. 



