THE BRAHMIN BULL. 9 
dies, and the ceremony in commemoration of 
ancestors has been performed, a young bull is 
consecrated with much solemnity to Siva, and 
married to four young cows. He is then 
turned loose, after having been marked, and 
may go where he pleases : it is not lawful to 
beat him, even though he may be devouring 
a valuable crop, or have entered a shop and 
be eating the grain exposed there for sale. 
The sufferers shout and make a noise to drive 
him away : but he soon despises this vocife- 
ration, and eats heartily until he is satisfied. 
These consecrated bulls become, in conse- 
quence of these free quarters, very fat, and 
are extremely fine animals to look at, but 
'^cry destructive. The cows are given away 
to Brahmins, and he seldom sees them again. 
The last two rajahs of Dinagepoor, among 
other expedients which they devised with 
great success to ruin themselves, consecrated 
m this manner about two thousand cows. As 
