377 THE BATTAS OF MANDHELING AND PERT1BT. 
which he is injured has but the form of the kadat to submit 
to it without a murmur. 
To so many national virtues is opposed the destructive pas¬ 
sion of gambling, covetuousness and excessive laziness. 
The madness which gambling causes here, may be compar¬ 
ed to that which is sometimes observed at European gaming 
tables. The difference is only that the desperation ends there 
in bodily, and here in mental, suicide. The Batta’ who has 
lost everything goes on till he has played away the liberty of 
his wife, his children and his own person; even when fallen 
into the state of slavery he gambles for food and clothes when 
he finds an opportunity. It may be recorded as a fact that 
here every inhabitant is addicted to gambling, although not in 
the same degree. The worst of it is, that minors are not exclu¬ 
ded from public gambling, and very often must pay for their 
inconsiderateness with their own liberty and that of their pa¬ 
rents besides For a short time reclaiming measures have been 
taken by us which hitherto appear to prosper The kinds of 
gambling are too numerous to be mentioned here. The prin¬ 
cipal are cockfighting with betting, and the jagong gaming. 
The national covetuousness shews itself in a tenacious 
gri[ je of money, and in inferiors works more against them¬ 
selves than against others ; in the higher classes on the contrary 
it works outwards, and shameful extortions and frauds upon 
mens liberty are with them the order of the day, when Eu¬ 
ropean interference does not put a stop to it* 
If it be true that proverbs express the wisdom of nations, 
then Batta’ wisdom consists in flying from all labour. At 
least what we should term animal laziness, he knows how to 
adorn with a number of proverbs as philosophical indifference, 
such as—“My father has not planted for me : why should I 
plant for my son ?” In the meantime, too lazy to irrigate his 
sawas at the proper time, he suffers the good moment to pass 
and loses his harvest;—but what loss? he borrows as long 
as he can, and pawns his defenceless relations. Too lazy 
for the plough, too lazy for the pcityol, which are given to 
him gratis, he recklessly deprives himself of their use, and 
takes upon his neck severe reprimands; but what loss ? he 
wants not ingenious pretexts to cover the true reason;—as 
that the plough lias to be managed by him and not by his 
wife, and that the pafyol requires too much motion. Too 
lazy for a sober exertion of a few hours, he sets himself 
against each order for coolie-work as against a real mis¬ 
fortune;—but what loss ? he hasestablished a regular agiotage 
which mostly agrees with the gambling; has he been fortunate 
