1894.] E. Vansittart— Tribes , Clans , and Castes of Nepal. 237 
Line-boys. —The progeny of Gurkha soldiers, who are born and 
brought np in the regiment, are called line-boys, and these might be 
divided into two distinct classes— 
(1) The progeny of purely Gurkha parents. 
(2) The progeny of a Gurkha soldier with a hill-woman. 
From the first class, if carefully selected, some excellent soldiers can 
be obtained. 
The second class should be avoided. The pure-bred line-boy is just 
as intelligent as the half-bred, and if boys are required for the band, 
or men as clerks, etc., it would be better to select them from out of the 
first class. Only a small percentage of line-boys, even of the first class, 
should be enlisted. 
The claims of line-boys to be provided for in the service are un¬ 
doubtedly very great, as Government has always, and very wisely, too, 
encouraged Gurkha colonies, and their fathers and grandfathers, having 
in many cases been all their lives in British employ, they have no other 
home than their regimental lines. 
In their first generation their physique does not deteriorate much, 
and they almost invariably grow up to be extremely intelligent men 
and full of military ardour. Their military education begins with 
their perceptive powers, as they commence playing at soldiers as soon 
as they can toddle about. The worst point against line-boys is that 
unfortunately they often prove to be men of very loose habits. 
Sir Charles Reid, k.c.b., mentions that out of seven men who 
obtained the Order of Merit for the battle of Aliwal and Sobraon, five 
were line-boys ; and out of twenty-five Order of Merit men for the 
siege of Delhi, twelve were line-boys. 
Kamara. —The Kamara is a slave. Most of the higher officials in 
Nepal retain Kamaras as attendants. The offspring of a Magar, Gurung, 
or Khas with a Kamara would be a Kamara. 
KhawaS. —Khawas is the offspring of a slave-mother with a Thakur. 
The children of this union become Khawas, and their posterity retains 
the name. Khawas is also the name given to the illegitimate children 
of the king or royal family. 
Konwar. —A Konwar who claims to be a Magar is the offspring of 
the connexion between a mendicant and any women. He is generally 
an ill-bred-looking man, and should not be enlisted The Khas Kon¬ 
war is all right. 
Dhotias. —The Dhotias live in the extreme west in Nepal, and south 
of Jumla. They are not Gurkhas at all, and should never be enlisted. 
Banda. —Any man can become a Banda, which practically means a 
bondsman. For instance, A will go to B and say—“ Give me sixty 
