In an Indian district; an enlarged ed. of Police notes by G.G.B. Iver

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N INDIAN DISTRICT

.N ENLARGED EDITION OF
"POLICE NOTES"

BY

G. G. B. IVER,

Indian Police.

.809
. 819

Price Rs. 2-8-0.

LAHORE:

CIVIL AND»MILITARY Q^ZBTTB PRHS8

1919,

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Digitized by the Internet Arciiive

in 2010 witii funding from

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littp://www.arcliive.org/details/inindiandistrictOOiver

IN AN INDIAN DISTRICT

AN ENLARGED EDITION OF
"POLICE NOTES"

BY

G. G. B. IVER,

Indian Police.

LAHORE :

OITIL AND UIL1TAB7 OAZBTTB PRESS

1919.

" T'l'it fjrs'it hfiyn%n thi^q ivhich is called law,
an I 'kit (jrniht dioiiie thing which is called j istice. "

PREFACE.

For one reason or another, which doubtless would
not interest the general public, the author was
unable entirely to comply with all the requests which
he received for copies of his "Police Notes; " and he
therefore asks the many whom he thus disappointed to
accept his apology. He was naturally surpiised and
gratified to find that so many people were interested in
iearning some of the details of the inside working of
the police in this country, and he has accordingly
taken advantage of the unexpected opportunity to
revise it completely in accordance with certain
suggestions made to him ; and at the same time to add
to it largely in order to increase its general interest*
In particular the brief sketch of the daily life of an
Ordinary Punjab village will, he hopes, not only give
valuable information to the newly joined police officer
but also make all visitors to the province to some
extent familiar with what goes on from day to day
amongst the picturesque inhabitants of the Punjab.
The author has to thank the public and the Press for
its generous appreciation of his humble efforts, and
if any of his remarks should give umbrage to any
reader, Indian or English, all he cm do is to express
his regret and plead that his one motive in writmi: this
little book is to promote mutual understanding between
the various races that inhabit In lia, an 1 by no moans
to offend the susceptibilities of anyone. The excellence
of his intention will, he trusts, oua-wiighany in lissre-
tions of language committed by a w.-i&er w'lo dj3.i
not profe-iS to be skilled in the art.

PREFACE TO POLICE NOTES,

It is a commoaplace that the average English-
man at home knows very little about India. It is
furthermore admitted that many Englishmen leave
India after completing their service with but scaur
knowledge of the country and its peoples. The root
of the evil is probably to be found in the bad
beginning which many young officers make on
arrival in the country. If interest were stimulated
and guided from the very start, it would be followed
by more serious study than we find at present. Tho
writer of these notes lays no claim to knowledge
above the ordinary, and there is probably little in
these pages which is not known to most of those
who have lived in the Punjab for any length of
time. The idea of this little book is simply to
provide some sort of guide to those who have just
arrived in Northern India with the prospect of
^psnding the best years of their lives in this part
of the world. The notes are meant primarily for
Police Officers, but it is hoped that members of
■other services, including tlie Army, may find their
perusal to be neither unprofitable nor entirely
lacking in interest. They are roughly put together
and possess no literary merit whatever. Their chief
<:laim to attention is the fact that they are intended
to assist the young official in getting to know the
country and its people in a fashion calculated to)
<io credit to himself, to India, and the Empire.

CONTENTS.

Page.

r.

— Preliminary

•

1

II.

—Hints on Health

5

III.-

-The Force

.

. 13

IV.-

—District Police Administration

. n

Y.-

—District Government

. 28

VI.-

—Relations with the Magistracy

. 4>2

VII.-

—Relations with the

People

. 48

nil.-

—Example and Precept

. 69

IX.-

—Investigation

•

. 73

X.-

-Rewards

•

9e

XI.-

-Note on Murder

•

. 99

XII.-

-In Camp

,

.. 115

1.

PRELIMINARY.

The telegram from the India Office or your
•daily paper has brought you the glad tidings that
you have passed inlo the Indian Police. After all
the hard work and anxiety the relief is tremendous,
and you realise that after certain formalities you
will be a servant of the King, and will soon be
-on your own. And let me say straight away that
your pride is justified, for the Police is one of the
finest services in India, and is steadily growing in
importance. There is reason to believe that this is
ibeing more and more realised and recognised.

I do not propose to deal with the various
formalities 3'ou will have to go through after
passing the examination as the regulations give all
necessaiy information, but I will try to give a few
tips which may be of general utility to the young
Police Ofiicer coming out to India for the first
time.

The (juestiou of outfit is naturally the most
absorbing, and judging by the number of useless
things which are foisted on young officers by the
so-called Indian outfitters, I fancy some advice may
be helpful. Let us consider uniform first. Some
people advise that only fatigue kit should be brought
out from home and full dress procured in Indiar
afterwards. My advice is, get everything before
you come out. There are muster patterns at the
India Office, and you will find you get superior
materials with better and cheaper workmanship
in England. The outfit will cost you less in the
•end and prove more satisfactory in every way. I

would however make an exception in the case of
khaki drill articles, which the Indian dirzi will make
to your entire satisfaction, and at a fraction of
the English cost. All he needs is a good pattern.
Moreover, in India the dirzi remembers to shrink
the cloth first. The drill uniform I brought out
with me I was never able actually to wear ; after
one washing it was several sizes too small !

In reijard to mufti, I would advise you firstly
not to throw away any of your old clothes, provided
the}' are comfortable and fit you well. In^
Northern India you will find them most useful
for camp, and remember that in many parts of the
country the cold is very severe at night in the
winter. In the Punjab for a couple of months or
more one needs a fire all day. Many people feel the
cold more in India than in Europe, possibly because
the houses are not suitably built and are con-
structed chiefly with, a view to the hot weather.
One or two well cut warm suits or " store clothes,"
one unlined flannel suit plus your old clothes and!
a pair of well cut riding breeches will be suflicient
for your main outfit. I would suggest that the
breeches be made by a first class tailor ; if they
fit you well they are invaluable as a pattern and
will father many generations. Cool clothing for
the hot weather is far better procured in India.
The best general advice I can give is, treat your
home outfit as a model for India, just adding to-
the articles in which you think you are a bit
short.

Don't be let in to bu}ing expensive despatch-
boxes and medicine chests, etc These things are
cheaper and more suitably prepared in India, but I
would suggest your getting a good thermos flask,.

a half minute thermometer, and an electric torch.
Also, if you have the money, a second hand shot
gun is a purchase you will not retjret. Wait until
you arrive in Bombay before getting a sola tojn,
and then I suggest a khaki covered Cawnpore
Tent Club pattern till you decide by experience
which of the various other styles you prefer for
use with the "store clothes." I also advise the
purchase of bedding and a holdall in Bombay, foi-
the railway journey up country is often very
cold.

The home outtitter's list invariably includes a
heavy zinc lined box. Take ray advice and leave
it alone. What these heavy boxes must cost in
carriage alone during one's service would be difficult
to figure out : they are also unnecessary. The light
compressed fibre trunks are best of all, and you
will find them moie serviceable in every way.
Boxes should be kept off the ground in order
to avoid white ants, which work from the ground
upwards : a simple method is to place each box
on four bricks. For preservation of one's clothes there
is nothing better than the dry leaves of the nirii tree.
They are very l)itter and will keep moths and insects
away most etiectually : the same leaves can be
used for years ; all you have to do is to leave a
liberal .sprinkling of leaves among the clothes.

If you have the money, a pair of brown Field
Boots will be found useful. But ordinary ankle boots
and your uniform leggings are all you need for riding
in mufti or uniform. You will find a second pair
of hair-brushes useful for camp work, where one
has long marches, and often has to leave ordinary
kit behind to follow on slowly.

4

In regard to stiddlery, I sugcrest purchase in
England of the prescribed bit, bridle and wallets
only. A good hunting saddle can usually be got for
£4 or £5 in India second-hand, while the other items
of equipment are unimportant.

I'he suggestions in the above notes are for those
who have to economise, and are written with that end
in view.

5

n

HINTS ON HEALTH

How many serious illnesses with consequent
weakening of one's whole constitution might have
been avoided in India by a little knowledge and a
little care I 1 he young officer just out trom home,
where he could do most things with impunity, never
imagines the climate of India to be so treachpro* s
that he must coddle himself a little if he is to keep
fit. Most of us only learn by sad experience, but by
that time the evil is often done, and we are left with
the handicap of a weakened constitution to carry on
for the rest of our service. How many too have not
survived to carry on at all ! A few examples will
suffice. A friend of mine walked down the hill from
Simla a few years ago, and when he was thoroughly
hot he met his pony and cantered through a cold
breeze to Chail without putting on a sweater. The
result was abscess on the liver, and he very nearly
did not pull through, and has never quite regained
his health. Another case of abscess on the liver I
know of was the result of a dive out of bed in the
winter to chase a barking dog out of the compound,
my friend failing to put on something- warm before
he came outside. Take again the case of a Sergeant-
Major at Ferozepcre, who chased some goats out of
his compound at midday without putting on a toj)i ;
he was buried the next morning.

One might easily multiply these melancholy
examples; it is with a view to theii- pievention that
I offer a few hints, far from complete no dcubt, bu<
gathered from experience. First aod foremost, T

6

would say, avoid i^etting a chill. At'tei- playinj^
i^ames or j^etting very hot invariably put on a
sweatei-, and it' you can change your vest or shirt
first, so much the better. Failure to take this simple
precaution is the most fruitful source (jf illness.

Secondly, avoid cold baths, at any rate in the
winter. A few people thrive on them, but they are
exceptions who prove the rule. These two " dont's "
will carry you a long way. It is sound to carry a
thermometer about with you in camp, and to consult
a doctor whenever you get fever. Failure to do so
cost the Department a very promising young officer
a few years ago. He felt unwell but carried on,
thinking it would pass off, and it was discovered only
• a few days before his death that he was suffering
from enteric. Taken in time he would in all prob-
ability have recovered. Then as a bachelor "on
your own " see that your milk and drinking water
are always boiled. If you are raging with thirst on
he march or out shooting, etc., don't be tempted to
•drink from a niussaq or well, but wait until you
get back to camp if you haven't anything to drink
with you. It is here that the thermos flask comes
in so useful.

It your " internal economy " is apt to get upset,
wear a "cholera belt." The best kind can be
-made up out of your old tennis trousers, each of
which will do for four belts. These are easily
shaped to the body by cutting a couple of V's on the
lower side, and fastening at the end with hooks and
eyes, the edges being bound with soft tape. The
great advantage is that they do not ruck up like
the knitted belts. The cholera belt prevents chill
.to the internal organs, and therein lies its great
■virtue. 1 once read a newspaper article by a doctor

7

in which the writer stated that many diseases, and
especlall}^ enteric, would be avoided by the simple
precaution of always brushing one's teeth before
having clioti hazri. It was pointed out that no
Indian would dream of eating his first meal belore he
had washed out his mouth, and that this custom of
the councry was not without its reiison. It is certainly
worth noting that Indians seldom get enteric.

Never start the morning march or ride without
a substantial choti hazri. One never knows
what may happen, or w'hen one may get the next
meal, and it is best to be on the safe side for nothing
is so upsetting to the digestion as long spells in the
sun without food ; I speak from bitter experience.

In your house or chummery you will also find
it a sound precaution to have things like SAlads,
grapes, strawberries, etc., washed in a weak solution
of permanganate of potash before being brought to
table. The potash is a good thing to carry about in
any case, being a cure for snake bite, a good gargle
for sore throat, and a fair antiseptic for washing a
wound. When cholera is about a few grains in
your drinking water and a diluted sulphuric acid
or vinegar " peg " daily are valuable safeguards.
During an epidemic, avoid uncooked fruit and
vegetables.

Apart from the above, a supply of quinine, an
aperient such as Magnesium Sulphate (which taken
with quinine makes it doubly effective), and a small
supply of aspirin are about all you will ordinarily
want when away from headquarters. Besides j'our-
self, remember that you have servants, that they
often go sick, and that they have great taith in these
wellknown druofs.

8

There are a few iiidioenous medicines, the proper-
ties of which are wellknown to Europeans. One of
these is Chiretta, which is an excellent tonic. It is-
obtainable in any village and is bought in the form
of dried twigs. At the cost of two annas enough can
be had to last for several months. Break up enough
to fill a wineglass to which about the same amount
of boiling water should be added as you sit down to
breakfast. In about 15 minutes it will be the colour
of sherry when it can be strained off and drunk. It
is not unpleasant in taste, and is a first class tonic
and febrifuge. Another remarkable remedy is
iaahgol or fleawort seed, wellknown as a cure for
bowel complaints and more especiall}* for d\\sentery. It
is obtainable in every bazaar : a teaspoonful is soaked
in water till it is quite soft and looks something like
frog-spawn. A dose three times a day or more
according to the virulence of the attack has l>een
known to work wonders. Both the above remedies
are, as far as I know, recognised by the medical pro-
fession. They may often prove a friend in time of
need when no qualified doctor is available. In a
case of snake-bite the first precaution is to tie a very
tight ligature, and preferably two, above the wound
Then puncture the wound with a knife to allow free-
bleeding and wash out as much of the poison as
possible, tlien rub in a few grains of permanganate
of potash. This cure is not infallible, but it has
been known to succeed very often, and in any case
it is better than doing nothing.

I cannot too strongly emphasize the maxim-
*' keep fit. " It is when you are run down that
disease gets hold of you. It should be part of your
Indian creed to make sure of regular exercise every
day. This is fairly easy to arrange in headquarters,.

Diit is more difficult in camp where nding and walk-
ing are too often all that one can get in the way of
exercise. In the winter a good tramp after par-
tridge or buck is all you want, but these luxuries are
■not always to be had. There are some who have
made the study of birds their hobby, and they are
greatly to be envied for they need never have a dull
moment in camp and can always get enough exercise.
Failing the above, the best form of exercise I have
struck is a singles at Badminton with an orderly.
Four bats, a net, a pair of bamboo poles, and a
supply of shuttlecocks are all you need, and a rouo-h
<30urt can be marked out in a few minutes. It is a
really good game and is splendid exercise.

Another form of exercise is " slogging out '
with an old cricket bat and half a dozen string balls.
I say " string " advisedly, as many inexperienced
fielders join in with no idea of how to catch a ball,
but very determined on trying. 1 don't want to be
the cause of any more cltaukidars heads being cut
open !

During the summer glare glasses should be used
for outdoor work during the day time. The glasses
should not be too dark, and side pieces of wire gauze
should be avoided as the metal gets very hot and
causes injury to the eyes. Glasses with vulcanite
side pieces are the best, and a very good article of
the kind is obtainable in India.

For long rides in the summer sun use a spine
pad. Three folds of red flanne], about 5 inches wide,
hooked or sewn down the inside of your coat, is as
good as anything but wider pads are also made
which hook on outside the sliirt or coat.

It has often struck me that the loose end or
ehamla of the pwj in is the Indian method of protecting

10

the spine from the sun. It acts iu nmch the same
way as the spine pad. The pugri itself is said by
those wlio have worn it to be an excellent protection
agaiast the sun, but I cannot speak from experience.

In the autumn, which is the fever season, be sure
to take quinine or some other prophylactic against
malaria. The " quinine parade" is now a well known
institution in all regiments, jails, and other Gov^ern-
ment insticutions where large numbers of men are
collected together. Once or twice a week, and in
some cases every da}'-, each man is made to swallow
a dose of ([uinine whether he has fever or not. The
beneficial results prove the value of the prophylactic
dose in no uncertain fashion. The fever germ is in the
blood of most people, but health}'' living and the
occasional dose of quinine keep the germ under.
I was told quite lately by an old hand that a great
preventive of fever is to clothe the lower limbs as soon
as one is out of bed in the morning and more especi-
ally of course in the winter. My informant had been
a constant sufferer till be heard of this. He added
that in the winter it was advisable to tub at night
and not in the morning.

These few precautions will save yon many an
illness, and they are worth a trial.

Household servants are closely connected with
one's health, and it may not be out of place to give
a short account of them. The head servant in the
compound is the bearer or valet who is gener-
ally referred to as "Sirdar" by the others. The
best bearers are Hindus, but that class is disappear-
ino-, and most people now employ Muhammadans,
as they will also wait at table, while the most a
Hindu bearer will do is to hand the drinks and
smokes.

.11

Next in importance is the cook or khansamah
also known as tlie haivarchi (the " bobberchi " in ineni-
sahib'^i Hindustani). He often uses the iniL'<halrhi
or scullery boy as an assistant. The mushalchi was
originally the bearer of the torch (raushal) to his
master's ^xt^/ti ; he reverted to other work when palan-
quins died out. The khidinatgar or butler does purely
table work, his name signifies simply that he does
service (khidmat). The hhistie or water-carrier comes
next, a very useful person who usually works hardest
and gives the least trouble of any servant. He often
cooks the meals of the house servants, and gets his
own free from the common dish. Last of all the house
servants comes the sweeper, (meJdar), the " knight of
the broom," usually known to the rest as " javvidar,"
a euphemistic title of honour for the out-caste. As
far as I am aware the name mehtar is also given on the
same principle, cf. the Mehtar of Chitral, a prince of
the highest family, not to be confused Avich the
Brahman Mehta.

The malt or gardener is usually known as
" chaudhri " to the rest, possibly because he superin-
tends rather a varied kind of job. The sais or
syce looks after your horse : the best syces are
Purbias (southerners) of the United Provinces, who
originally followed in the wake of our invadino*
armies as they came North. They are low-caste Hindus
but make the best syces. Their courage in the
Mutiny in bringing up horses to their masters under
heavy fire »vas remarkable. This completes the initial
requirements of a household, but I must mention one
other personage. He is found in every club or
.hotel and is known as the abdar, i. €., the man who deals
with water. In the old days before ice machines were
known the cooling of drinks was a very important

12

and lengthy business, so much so that a whole
time servant was employed for the purpose. When
his master went out to dinner the ahdar took his own
water along to the host's house, and there they all
met and prepared the drinks by various cooling pro-
cesses. When the ice machine came there was no work
for the ahdar and he dropped out of the household, but
remains in the club and hotel where he acts as head-
waiter and dispenser of liquid refreshment.

In the management of servants I can only say don't
nag at them, and try to keep your hands off them.
When you have to inflict a fine don't retain the monej^
but send the man with it to the nearest charitable
institution which is run by his own sect, or to a hos-
pital. Let him take the money with a letter and
brino- a receipt. The servants are often very trying
-and very faithless — a man who has been with you 20
years will leave at a few hour's notice — but in times
of sickness, etc., they generally play up very well, and
in camp they will march night after night in the
bitter cold without complaint, pack up attain the
next evening and so on for weeks. On the whole we
owe a great deal to our servants, and lam convinced
that they will respond far more readily to decent
treatment. Let me quote from the Anglo-Indian
classic " Behind the Bungalow," which sums up the
Indian servant completely. — " The conditions he
values seem to be, — permanence, respectful treatment,
immunity from kicks and cuffs and from abuse,
especially in his own tongue, and above all, a quiet,
life, without kitkit, which may be vulgarly translated,
nagging. Ill-usage of him is a luxury like any other,
pai'd for by those who enjoy it, not to be had other-
wise."

13
III.

THE FORCE.

The police force c>f India is governed by the Poh'ce
Act V of 1861. By that Act the powers of admin-
istration are vested in the Inspector-General. I
will be necessarj'' to the purpose of these notes to
describe in some detail the various branch(;s of which
the Punjab Police is composed. The Province is divid-
ed into three ranges, Central, Western and Eastern,
each under a Deputy Inspector- General, while there
is a fourth officer of this rank who controls the
specialised branch known as the Criminal Investiga-
tion Department.

There are 28 districts in the Province, of which 9
are in the Central, 10 in the Western and 9 in the
Eastern Range. The Deputy Inspectors-General are
responsible for the general administration of their
charges, but are more especially concerned with in-
ternal econom}^ The prevention and detection of
crime is the more immediate concern of the District
Magistrate of each district subject to the general con-
trol of the Deputy Inspector-General and the Commis-
sioner of the Division. Thus the ordinary channel of
communication for district correspondence is the Dis-
trict Magistrate, the Deputy Inspector-General, and
the Commissioner, who then forwards it to the Local
Government. Subject to the general control and direc-
tion of the District Magistrate, who, however, has
no concern with the internal economy of the force,
the administration of each district is vested in the
Superintendent of Police. The district is further
sub-divided into police circles, and then again into

14

police stations or thanas. The jurisdiction of a thana
is generally known as its " ilaqa." The Superin-
tendent has an Assistant Superintendent of the Im-
perial Service or a Deputy Superintendent of the
Provincial Service to assist him. Next below conies
the Inspector, below him the Sub-Inspector, th(; Head
Constable and lastly the Constable. Each district
is thus a self-contained unit with i^s own staff, budget,
lines, etc.

Except in a few large towns the ordinary tJtana
is in the charge of a Sub- Inspector, whose staff con-
sists of 2 Head Constables and 12 Constables. The
thana is the reporting station for all crime, it
initiates all investigations and enquiries, and is a very
important organisation. The pivot of police admin-
istration is the Sub-Inspector, and it is on his work
more than any other that the reputation of the police
is made or marred. It is he who writes the first re-
port of a crime on which so much depends, and he
is usually the first officer to reach the scene of a
crime. His responsibilities and difficulties are very
great indeed, I am afraid they are very often
forgotten when his shortcomings come up for judg-
ment. Often he has nothing but his own authority
and influence to assist him in working out a case
of first importance, and I hold it of equal importance
that nothing should be done by those in authority
over him to derogate from that influence without very
grave reason. This is <x sine qua non of successful
police administration, and is more fully dealt with
in the chapter on that subject. There are no doubt
many corrupt officers, but unless there is reason
to expect success, positive harm is done by ill consid-
ered departmental enquiries into any and every com-
plaint against the police. Their })restige is lowered

15

in the eyes of the people with no corresponding
advantage, and one certain result is an increase in
crime and lawlessness.

I hold that police work in India is a duty-
presenting many great difficulties, and it is un-
fortunate that these are not more fully realised.

In order to get the best work out of the
men it is far better to encourage and reward the
good and honest workers rather than be ever on the
look out to punish the bad. Hit seldom but hit
hard, if you wish to improve the morale and
efficiency of the force. The department possesses no
monopoly of corrupt officers, but the bad name which
is given to the police is largely due to the nature of
their duties wliich are often antagonistic to whole
sections of the community. Thus the cause of the
varied accusations made nowadays against the
Criminal Investigation Department is not far to seek.
In a way they are a distinct tribute to the efficiency of
that much maligned body of men. The point to bear
in mind is that if the police disappeared to-morrow
there would be chaos in India within a month.
The department gets through a vast amount of
useful work, much of which is not recognised be-
cause it is unknown to the general public. Blame is
invariably laid on the police when anything what-
•ever goes wrong, but praise is not always forth-
coming when the opposite is the case. It must be
admitted however that lately there has been some
recognition of the fact that this hard-worked and under-
paid service is not entirely composed of corrupt and
tyrannical tiends, biit that there is a good proportion
of humane beings in the yjolice, which more often
than not tries to do its duty and to grapple honestly
with the many difficulties confronting it.

16

The recoi-d of the Punjab Police is a proud one,
and it is by no means unique. The courage and
resource of the Bengal cadre in dealing with rev^olu-
tionary crime will hold its own with the records of
any country, while the acts for which the King's
Police Medal has been awarded are as varied as they
are courageous. Many must remember, for instance^
the Ambala constable who had on three occasions
descended a well with poisonous fumes to rescue
people who had fallen in after being overcome by the
gas. I quote below two remarkable cases within
my own experience. In the year 1904 bubonic
plague attacked the town of Chunian, Lahore dis-
trict, in its most virulent form. It was so terrifying
that people ran away, leaving their dead unburied
or unburnt. A Sikh constable and a Muhammadan
Telisil peon took upon themselves to perform these-
last offices for the dead, although be it remembered
this was no part of their duty. After a time the
peon died — of plague — but in spite of this the Con-
stable stuck to the work till the epidemic was overJ
I can conceive of nothing braver than this. No
reward was demanded, and I only heard of wdiat was
going on from other sources. When I visited Chunian
and asked to see the mauj he was away superintend-
ing the crematioii of a batch of corpses. He eventu-
ally received the Medal from the hands of the King-
Emperor at the Delhi Durbar.

The second case was almost as fine a performance.
Two sepoys had deserted from their regiment with
a rifle, a large amount of ammunition and other Gov-
ernment property. While attempting to steal a camel
in the Ferozepore district, they shot the owner
dead when he seized one of them. The case
was of great importance and half the country-
side was turned out to hunt down these desperate

17

criminals. Among other precautionary measures a-
constable was posted at every Railway Station in the
neighbourhood, and was given a written descriptive
roll of the absconders. Anyone who has passed
through knows the size of Bhatinda Station. The
solitary constable on duty there was set the seem-
ingly impossible task of Avatching the thousands of
passengers passing through for two men whom he
had never seen ! But he persevered, for was it not a
kukm, and some 10 nio-hts later he followed on to
the long ovtjrbridge two men who seemed to answer
to the description. They had a bundle and a large
stick. The constable had a difficult and dangerous
task to perform on a very dark night, and he had to
be most astute. His first move was to say what he
was and accuse the couple of carrying illicit liquor.
They offered him a bribe of Re. 1-4 which was all
they had, but not before he had handled the sus-
piciuos " bottle " bulging a little from the bundle.
He accepted the bribe, then pretended that it was all
a joke, that he had met the couple before, and would
be glad to stand them their dinner and a drink. They
were very hungry, having been in hiding for daj^s,
and readily followed the constable to a baker's where^
dinner was ordered. Leaving them sitting by the oven
watching with relish the cooking of some nice cJiai^-
attis our friend said he would go and buy a bottle of
liquor to grace the occasion. He strode off into
the dark, only to creep up quietly behind the squat-
ing couple, snatch away their stick, and eventually
tie them back to back with their own pagris He
then placed the bundle between their necks so as
to have his own hands free, and proceeded to lead
them into the police station which was not far off.
Inside the bundle was the rifle with stock and barrel
separated, and the rest of the property taken front

the regiment. Both men were sentenced to
death, but it is worth noting that one of them
was acquitted of murder on appeal by the Chief
Court on the j,' round tliat it was not proven that
he was a consenting party to the firing of the rifle, but
he was awarded two years for attempted robbery of
the camel. With these instances before me, I feel
that the pride in the corps of oflicersand men alike is
not unjustified. The traditions of the force have been
worthily upheld by tlie recent response for volunteers
to the Police Battalions of the Indian Army.
" A " battalion, for service overseas, was filled up
almost at once, but recruiting for " B " was much
slower. Everyone thought that the higher bonus
was the attraction, but it was shown later on that
keenness to go overseas and fight the enemies of the
King was the real desire of the recruits. In more
than one district every man on parade volunteered
for overseas as soon as the general address and
terms of service were read out, but t' e Viceroy
was not referring to one province alone when he said
" Gallantly has that gallant body of men responded
to the call." The batta'ions are a striking example
of the spirit of the force, and that readiness to do
its duty which has at various times earned praise
from the highest in Jie land and from the King-
Emperor liimself.

19

IV.
DISTRICT POLICE ADMINISTRATION.

The young- officer fresh from home and training
• school will feel very much at sea when he first joins
a district, and with some reason, for there is a great
deal to learn and much that only experience will
teach. But a few hints may be helpful in stimulating
a search after greater knowledge.

Before I came out I had a real shock at hearing
a policeman on leave talk about "going to office."
One pictured police life as so very far removed from
an office or a report even ! Alas ! for this was illusion
indeed.

With a view to efficiency, and the best kind of
efficiency at that, I venture to think that the soundest
advice one could give to the young policeman is " lay
yourself out first and foremost to master the
language."

The Punjab boasts of seven languages and the
dialects are said to change every ten miles. Punjabi
itself is a delightful and most expressive tongue, well
worth the trouble of a real effort to master it.

Try and make that a shauq and a matter of pride
to yourself, and you will never regret it. Government
has of late years begun to realise the vast import-
ance of a thorough knowledge of the vernaculars,
and sufficient pecuniary inducements are now offered
to make even the slow and the slack ones realise that it
pays to pass language examinations. When I passed
the Higher Standard Punjabi I was Rs. 60 out of
pocket ! A rattling good speaking knowledge of the

20

yernacular enhances beyond words the respect in»
whicli one is held by the public and one's subordinates.
Picture to yourself a murder enquiry for instance,,
and the difference between your examination of a wit-
ness with the thanadar as interpreter, and yourself
taking the witness aside and coaxing his knowledge
from him firsthand. Believe me the whole village will
look on you from a different standpoint — and will play
up accordingly.

Likewise the Recruiting Officer will get more
men and better men if he can do the talkmg himself
instead of leaving it to his subordinates. An Army
officer told me only a little while ago that he over-
heard one of his recruiters informing some villagers
that the pay of a sepoy was Rs. 50 a month. Had he
not known the language well (he had made a speciality
of languages generally), this false representation
would have been put down to th? sahib for it was
said in his hearing. The importance of at any rate
speaking the language well camiot be exaggerated.

(And do be forewarned against that awful word
' munkta ' which is used by many on every conceivable
occasion. The veib " munkna"does rot exist, and
maligna from which it has presumably been perverted
means ' to ask for ' and not 'to want.')

Study of the language will introduce you to
customs and habits of the people which are of in-
estimab'e value to a policeman, who should know
everything about everything if he is to be " the in-
vestigating " officer of the books on criminology.

The following example will show the value of
knowing the language. In a triple mui'der case which
had been accompanied with the greatest brutality the
Sessions Judge had ac(|uitted all the accused. He

21

had rejected the prosecution theory in toto. The
•details of that theory are not necessary to the point
under consideration, but I must explain the defence
plea somewhat fully. One of the deceased was an
old man who had no children, and another was his
nephew. The defence story was that the old man
had betrothed this nephew, of whom he was very
fond, in the Amritsar District but the father of the
girl had made it a condition that the boy should
inherit the uncle's property. In pursuance of this
the pair were at the time of the murder on their way
to headquarters to complete the necessar\^ papers,
when the remaining relatives set upon tliem and
killed both as well as a third person who bad at-
tempted to rescue them. It should be stated that
the prosecution story was entirely ditierent. After
the acquittal the relatives of the deceased came daily
in tears to the house of the Superintendent of Police
to invoke his aid. Now an appeal against an ac-
■quittal is very rarely sustained, and it requires the
strongest grounds before Government will entertain
any proposal of the kind, so it seemed that there was
nothing to be done. At one of these daily visits
however, the Superintendent, while referring to the
betrothal mentioned above, happened to overhear
one of the relatives say to another in broad Punjabi
"and to think he has been dead all this time too."
'The man had never realised the importance of this
and it had never come out in Court. A telegram to
Amritsar elicited the reply that the father of this
girl who was alleged to have enforced the condition
which led to the murder had died over two years
before the murder occurred ! The result of this in-
formation was a rotrial ai.d the conviction of all the
accused.

22

With your language well in hand, try to get
acquainted on friendly terms with leading men, official
or otherwise. You will find that they respond more
than readily to courtesy and friendliness. Ihe Indian
values these beyond Avords, and you will have gained
the first step in securing his assistance and co-opera-
tion in criminal work. Without that help you will
never go very far. It is safe to say that as a rule if
a village decides to spoil a case the police are helpless.
The successful policeman is the one who " gets into the
skins " of the people, and sees that good work is re-
warded, a subject which is more fully dealt with
in the chapter on " Rewards."

At headquarters make a point of plaAnng games
with the men. The most popuhir game is hockey^
and besxles the pleasure of it you will be inti-oduced
to and know your men in a different light. It is a
great opportunity of teaching them the fine qualities-
which gaujes can and should bring out. It will in-
terest you to see how they respond. In this connec-
tion as in others I have found that a greater measure
of success is ensured by praising good rather than
abusing bad play. I have seen a hockey team both
duriag and after the game subjected to as whole-
hearted a "strafing" as one could imagine. The-
men of course played up to avoid this, but not with
the spirit and keenness of those who waited for
their leader's shabash. This team was beautifully
trained, but it generally failed in a hard match or
tournament. I of course speak in a general way
and do not wish to imply that a man is never to be
''dropped on " But if one can get work done with
a smile it will be better done. A jest is generally a
far better weapon than a stick and if 3'ou can tack on.
a proverb to it, so much the better.

2.i

It might not be amiss to mention here that it is a
fatal mistake in this country to strike people. No
doubt one is sorely tempted at times, but if ever}--
one could realise that it most often does more harm
than good, we should hear less of tliese things. One
can only ask the young officer to take this for granted,
and see if experience does not confirm these words.
Moreover, growth of education and other develop-
ments have made the people of India more and more
resentful of ph3^sical violence, and it may result at
any time in very serious consequences. Further, the
practice only too easily becomes a habit the injustice
of which has only to be considered to be i-ealised. I
need hardh^ add that I do not refer to striking one of
the men — a crime against which no warning should
be necessary.

This leads up to the (juestion of departmental
punishments, which is one of the most difficult
problems in district administration. Be the causes
what they may, the Police more than any department
carries on its work chiefly through prestige or
influence or a combination of the two. Indiscriminate
departmental inquiries are apt to play havoc with these
qualities. This can be better understood by an example;
A Sub-Inspector is accused of bribery, and the Superin-
tendent immediately goes out and holds an enquiry.
The offence is very difficult to prove, and the case is
either filed as not proven or the punishment is annul-
led on appeal. What is the result i The officer may
be innocent, and in fact experience shows that where
direct accusationsare made the causes are usually
something quite difterent and the officer is most often
innocent. But a distinct blow has meanwhile been
dealt to his prestige, and the next time some suspect
is being questioned, we may find the latter openly

24

defiant and ottering- to lodge a similar complaint if he is
not immediately released. The result is that the
case gets no further. Or again the Sub-Inspector
may have been guilty of taking the bribe, but the
failure of the enquiry has shown him how difficult it
is to prove his guilt, so for the future he takes money
with less scruple than ever. These are common
enough occurrences, and they represent a problem of
no small difficulty to the district officer who is keen to
run his district well, and at the same time to put down
malpractices among his subordinates. One could not
venture to lay down a hard and fast rule for dealing
with such a delicate business, but I think it safe to
advise that an investigation of the kind should not be
started unless preliminary confidential enquiries ^how
that there is a fair prospect of proving the accusation.
The Police Rule that all serious charges against officers
must be immediately reported to Government is an-
other handicap in dealing with this difficult question.
I fancy that the Superintendent's difficulties are
often not fully recognized, and he is more often thought
to be shielding useful subordinates when in reality
this is anything but the case. But when a severe
offence is brought home it is a sound principle to
award a really exemplary punishment, which will
have a deterrent effect on others also. On the other
hand, a host of petty punishments is most inadvisable
and for a first offence of a minor nature a warning is
sufficient. I always feel great scruple in entering the
first Black Mark in a man's Roll. I also close the
door of the Quarter Guard on a prisoner witli
the greatest reluctance, and if it is possible I avoid
this form of punishment. It degrades a man to
find himself behind bars witli his comrades looking
-on outside. If a man has to be confined his case
should C3me up for decision as soon as possible.

25

In retvard to promotions it is wise to forbid all
recommendations when you have to decide anything
of the kind. Apart from being the fairest method
the men greatly appreciate the fact that merit brings
its reward and that officers at headquarters are not
allowed to put their spoke in anybody's wheel. Allow-
ing sifarisJi may also lead to various malpractices.

It is a sound plan to have "orderly room" in Lines
once a week, when the men can make any verbal
request they desire direct to the Superintendent.
Here aga'U; even though the requests be manifestly
absurd, hear what the man has to say right through
before passing orders. Tliis is very highly appreciat-
ed and makes the men contented. In Lines and
outstations make a point of personally seeing to the
comfort of the men, that their barracks are well kept,
that the water supply is good, and that thoy can
get their food cooked without dela}^ or trouble. The
privilege cf sleeping out of Lines is much appreciated
by married men at headcjuarters, and should be
allowed when it does not interfere with work or
regulations. Let 3^our men also see and realise that
you are i^ersonally interested in their welfare, and
that recognition of good work is of vital concern to
you, even more so than the punishment of bad work.
The results will surprise j'ou. The personal touch is
everything in India.

An insistence on smartness and cleanliness is of
great importance to the force. I have heard officers
who are keen on this question referred to as the
" spit and polish school. " but on the principle that
cleanliness is next to godliness I firmly believe that
if a test could be applied it would be found that
the smartest turned out district force was the cleanest
minded and the cleanest handed. Moreover I always

20

insist that men going on duty outside the district
should pay special attention to their appearance.
Dirtiness or slovenliness on parade is known to only
s, few and is a kind of family matter, but it should be
explained to the men that outside the Lines they at
all times have the good name of the whole district to
uphold.

The rules provide for periodical meetings of
gazetted and non -gazetted officers at Headquarters.
The revolver course is fired — a very dangerous per-
formance, at which it is advii^able to stand immedi-
ately behind the man who is firing ! — and the
opportunity is taken to discuss orders and rules in
an informal conference, and to ask for suggestions
and objections. I have found these meetings to be of
the greatest value. The official who makes rules
and gives orders is like the man who makes boots.
With the most careful measurements and the most
skilled workmanship the finished article, though
perfect in appearance, maj'' be found to be quite use-
less to the wearer. So it is with orders and rules,
especially in India. The man who is going to wear
the boot should at least be given the opportunity of
saying whether it fits or not. His objection may
prove to be without foundation, or the fault may be
rectified without making a fresh boot, but in any case
exchange of ideas cannot but be helpful to all
•concerned. I have tried to apply this principle to
district work generally, and have found it most
effecti\o. The chief trouble is to get people to realise
that genuine criticism will be welcomed. Away
from tli(- ])latform or the press it is not easy to coax
this on I '>F those with whom one usually has to deal.
A wokI vhould be said about the bootmaker too. As
aruleli. .s not grown up in the country where he

27

plies his trade : his apprenticeship should therefore
he as thorough as possible, and for at least 8 years
^f ter arrival in India he should be kept steadily at
district work which brings him into the closest contact
with the people until he is saturated with the practi-
cal politics of the country. This will overshadow
his whole outlook throughout his service and stand
him in good stead always. It is the man who has
really tried to study the country and the people by
coming in close contact with them, who after 25 years
of effort will say : " The only thing I know about
India is that I know nothing; and I am not quite sure
that I know that." That is the spirit in which the
thorny problems of this country are best tackled.

28

V.
DISTRICT GOVERNMENT.

It may not be out of place to give a short account
of the ditfei-eut branches of district administration.
Perhaps it is because these consist of several water-
tight compartments that members of one branch will
sometimes know so little about the other. For
instance, it is a fairly common idea among young,
military officers that the Superintendent of Police
sits as a Magistrate and also that he runs the jail.
This is hardly to be wondered at, for the working of
the various departments are often quite separate and
distinct from one another and the elements in the
composition of a district stati vary considerably.

Taken generally the Deputy Commissioner is the
head of e\^ery branch, though in manj' branches he
does not touch the internal working and is only
concerned with the general administration. It might
surprise some people to hear that " Deputy Commis-
sioner, " " Collector " " District Magistrate, " " Chair-
man of the District Board," " President of the
Municipal Committee " all apply to the same official
in a Punjab district. The Deputy Commissioner is
r)rimarily an administrative officer, but he is very
rightly invested with magisterial and appellate
powers. He has usually what are called " section 30'
powers," i. e , powers under section 30 of the Criminal
Procedure Code to try all cases not punishable with
death. In practice this means any case in which a
.sentence not exceeding seven years will be sufficient,
By tr3dng cases the District. Magistrate gains first-
haad knowledge of the working of the police, the-

29

prosecuting agency and the viilage officials wlio are
■supposed to help the criminal administration. Then
the Deputy Commissioner is, on the revenue side,
the Collector of the district. To assist him in this
highly technical and most important work he has a
specialist called the Revenue Assistant, who is
generally a 1st Class Magistrate of the Provincial
Service.

The appeals from 2nd and 3rd Class Magistrates
■go to the Deputy Commissioner, as also appeals
from 1st Class Magistrates in security cases.

The Sessions Judge is the highest purely judicial
officer and he deals with the most serious criminal
•cases and the hearing of appeals from subordinate
Courts, both criminal and civil. The Sessions Judge
is directly under the control of the Chief or High
Court, and is quite independent of district authority.

The remaining Magisterial stafi need not be pre-
cisely detailed. There is one senior Magistrate, the
Subordinate Judge, who deal -' mostly with civil work,
and another who has charge of the Treasury.

Next to the District Magistrate the most impor-
tant administrative official is the Superintendent of
Police. The internal economy of the force is entirely
under departmental control, but the District Magis-
trate, as reponsible for the criminal administration,
is answerable for the working of the police. This
control he naturally exercises through the local head of
'the department.

Likewise, the Civil Surgeon is responsible to the
Deputy Commissioner for the running of his depart-
ment, the chief item of which, apart from his medical
work, is the administration of the jail, of which he is

80

Superintendent. The internal economy of the Jaill
and its discipline are in his hands.

In most districts there is a branch of the mar-
vellous network of canals which the British have
built in India. What was wild desert 50 years ago
is now smilino- crops, the output of which forms an
important contribution to the world's grain supply.
I gather that India easily leads the world in canal
engineering and the Punjab certainly leads India.
For sheer audacity in conception and skill in execu-
tion the Canal Engineer in this countrj^ is unsurpass-
ed. The canals themselves are in manj'- places the
life blood of the people and have almost reduced
famine to a bogie of the past. The}' also bring in
an enormous revenue to Government. By what at
first sight seems a curious arrangement the Canal
Engineer assesses the water-rate and revenue for his
division. He is in every wa}^ a most important
member of the district administration. It will give
some idea of his importance when I mention that
in 1916 the canals irriga'ed over 9 million acres
of land, the gross receipts on which amounted to
Rs. 4,44,87,984.

We might now mention the District Board, of
Avhich the Deputy Commissioner is Chairman. This
is a local body whose members are chosen from all
over the district. Membership is greatly prized as it
gives position and iszat. The Board controls the
district schools, hospitals, roads, the planting of trees,
the maintenance of various buildings, rest-houses, etc..
The income is mostly derived from a percentage on
the revenue.

The chief source of the Indian Government's
revenue is the land, so the collection, etc., of that

81

revenue is a great item in the work of a district. Tha
unit of division for land revenue purposes is called,
a Tehsil, and most districts are divided into three or
four of them. The TeJtsil is in charo-e of a Tehs'ldar\
and his assistant or " Naih " who are generally invested
with 2nd or 3rd class magisterial powers. These
are followed by a host of underlings, chief place
among whom must be given to the " pativari " or
village accountant. As the proverb has it :

Asnvin par zat bari.
Zamin iiar 'patwari.

i.e.
In heaven there is Gcd.
On earth the pativari.

Though the .salary of this otficial is only some
Rs. 10-15 a month the above will show what a power
he wields in the land. His duties are varied enough.
He has maps of tlie village areas showing every
field and its most minute boundaries, and he could
tell you what crops it has produced for many gener-
ations. It is said to be the most complete land re-
venue .sj'stem in the world.

Subject to check and supervision the _/:)aho iri
records exactly what tields are cultivated for each
harvest, what crop was planted, and what revenue
should be paid after allowance has been made for bad
seasons, lack of rain, etc. One can easily see there-
fore why this Rs. 10 underling wields such power
and why some of them can afford to send their sous
to England to be educated. And some have risen to
high positions in the Pi-ovincial Civil Service.
The man who actualh' collects tbe cash and
deposits it in the Tehsil Treasury is the lambardar

32

or village headman. This ])ost is mostly hereditary
and is naturallj^ very much sought after. The larger
villages have several lambardars, the number being
based on the revenue, 5 per cent, of which is kept
by the lambardars as salary. This is known as the
•padtotra. A cess is also levied on the village for
salary of its cJiauJcidar, who gets the large sum of
Rs. 4 per mensem. If ever anyone earned his pay
it is the chaitkidar, and the Superintendent of Police
on tour can do much by local enquiry to see that
he gets it. The Tehsiidar is not supposed to give a
receipt for the revenue till he sees the cJtaukidars
receipt for his pay, but I fear this is often omitted.
The chaukidar can do a great deal to assist the
criminal administration, and every Superintendent of
Police should make a special point of befriending
him and rewai'ding him liberally for good work. He
is nominally the servant of the village, but is at the
beck and call of every official high and low. Among
other duties he keeps the birth and death registers,
which he gets written up by some literate villager
under the supervision of the lainhardar, and every
fortnight he tramps to the tJiana, where the entries
are copied into a large register (Book XV), and
eventually find their way to the Civil Surgeon's
office for permanent record. Chaukidars are supposed
to be supplied with a rough uniform at the expense
of the village. This is a question too in which the
Superintendent of Police can interest himself and
assist the Deputy Commissioner in seeing that uni-
form is provided at suitable intervals.

Another very important official is the zaildar as
he is generally called. He is given a circle of villages
or Z'lil, and is expected to assist generally in
all branches of the district administration. His

33

importance can be o^auged from his duties which are
/given below : —

"(1) To report heinous crimes to the Police and
Magistrate, to bring to their notice the presence in
his zail of any persons of notoriously bad livelihood,
and to assist in the investigation and prevention of
offences and in arresting criminals.

(2) To see that the headmen, chief headmen and
patwaris of the zail perform their duties properly ;
provided that the zaildar must not interfere in the
performance of their duties by these officials except
under directions from a competent officer.

(3) To render sucli assistance in the work of
survey, crop inspection, preparation of records and
assessments, or other branches of revenue administra-
tion within the zail as the Collector may require.

(4) To report any repairs necessary to Govern-
ment buildings, roads or boundary marks within
the zail.

(5) To notif}^ in the estates of the zail all orders
of Government communicated to him for that purpose

. and to obey all orders which require obedience from
himself.

(6) To exert his influence to secure within the
zail prompt obedience to all orders of Government,

■ and to abstain from interference with cases pending
in the law courts except under order from the proper
. authority.

(7) To assist Government officei-s in the execu-
tion of their duties, and to supply them to the best
of his ability with any information they may require

; and to attend on them when they visit the zail."

34

The position is very eagerly sought after and
is the cause of keen competition. This rivalry is of
considerable value because of the inducements it
ofters to prospective candidates to assist all depart-
ments and to acquire a show of certiticates against
the time when the}- will be needed. The zaddar
gets a nominal stipend or inam var3'iug usually from
Rs. 75 to perhaps Rs. 350 a year. These are fixed
at the time of settlement. In some districts a species
of suh-zaildar is appointed in the larger zails on a
small inam. They ar^ usually stjded siifaidposh,
literally " the man with white clothes," geueralh^ used
to denote the man of position above the ordinary.

The word " settlement " requires a brief explana-
tion. In most provinces of India the whole district
revenue is revised and re-assessed every 20 or 30
years, and this is called " settlement.'" It is a most
complete performance, and takes several years, for it
includes a great deal. The work is most strenuous,
and requires much labour, skill and tact, especially
as it generally entails- a considerable enhancement of
revenue in the Punjab Avhich is growing yearly in
prosperity and general advancement. Village lands
are remeasured, outstanding disputes are settled, the
produce of each field for the previous 20 years is
totalled up, and the future revenue calculated accord-
ing! v. It is a big business, and a sound settlement
must compel universal admiration. The settlement
officer also writes up the District Gazetteer, namely,
the complete history of the district. When you take
ovtr charge of a district invariably get hold of the
Gazetteer. You will find it of the greatest assistance
in getting an idea of what the district is like.

The question of dealing adequately with corrup-
tion in the lower ranks of every service is as difficult

as it is common. It is rao>cover probable that
nothing has created more dissatisfaction with Britisb
rule amoncr the rural population than this unchecked
growth of" bribery. The ordinary villager sees
corruption going on all round him, he feels that
complaint is useless and that he has no remedy. It
affects everyone in the village in more or leas degree-
He cannot understand why Government should be
precluded by its own rules and regulations from
getting rid of this thorn in the flesh, and his conclu-
sions are not to the credit of his rulers. If there Ls
any real desire for political power among the masses
it is the desire for power to free themselves from the
exactions of coiTupt underlings. The Punjab Govern-
ment has taken the lead in the effort to stamp out
corruption, and is already doing much good, but I
venture to think that it should be brought home to
the ordinary villager that Government iirishefi to help
him, and has provided a remedy. The remedy
suggested is not recourse to the Courts, but the
formation of local Commissions or panchafjats for
enquiry into cases of this nature. It should thus be
possible for a village to free itself from the burden
of a corrupt pahvari by invoking Government aid
On the report of a carefully selected Commission
expressing conviction that the charge was true, the
'patwftri would be punished, and the satisfaction to
the whole country -side would be immense. It would
prove to the people that they had a real voice in the
direction of their own affairs, and it would in time
create a valuable sense of responsibility — a reol germ
of self-government.

So far in this chapter I have attempted to give a
rough idea of the conditions obtaining in a modem
Punjab district. It will not be arniss therefore to

36

recall to mind sonietliin<^ of the old days, just before
-and after the annexation of the Punjab. The ex-
tracts below are taken from Ibbetson's Census Report
-of 1881, one ot" the most authoritative publications
•on record.

" The first half of the ISth century was one of unusual
turmoil even for India ; and as has ever been the case
when flighting wa^ on the Punjab was in the very heart of

the fray. As the century opened, the -Sikhs

I'avaged the whole eastern portion of the Province from the
Jamna to tne Sutlej, and laid the northern and central
'tracts under contribution. The invasion of the great
Persian freebooter Nadir Shah followed close upon their
ipunishment, and swept like a wave of death through the
Punjab ravaging and destroying all that lay in its course.
And the first half of the century was fitly closed by the
famines of 1753 and 1759.

The latter half of the century witnessed one contiu-

tious struggle eight times within as many

years did Ahuiad Shah invade the Punjab ; eight times
was his departure from the Province the signal for the
Sikhs and Mahrattas to tly at each other's throats. The
desolation which Ahmad Shah's army carried in its route
is expressed by the saying still current among the wild tribes
•of Montgomery : " what one eats and drinks is one's own ;
the rest is Ahmad Shah's " Might was the only test of
right, and in the absence of any general controlling author-
ity the country became a prey to the ambition of rival chiefs
struggling for supremacy. Jn the midst all this misery
<ame "the great famine" as the people call it of 1783."

Sir Lepel (iriffin writes of this famine : —

" In the east of the Punjab the country was depopulated,
the peasants abandoning their villages and dying in thous-
sands of disease and want ; the country swarmed with bands
-of thieves and highway robbers, and the state of anarchy
was almost inconceivable."

87

Another report says : —

In the fertile and populous central districts wheat
sold at from li to 2i seers for the rupee, the seeds of
the acacia < kikar) and cotton plant were greedily
devoured : so many died of star^"ation that bodies
■were thrown into wells unburied, mothers cast
their children into the rivers and even cannibalism is
said to ha\e been resorted to. The cattle nearly all died,

or were eaten up by the starving Mohammadaus

The famine was followed by great mortality from fever
and a^ue, and a large proportion of those who escaped
starvation fell victims to the disease. "

During the first 40 years of the 19th century there
were 6 more famines, that of 1833 being almost as severe
as that of 1783. In 1841 an epidemic of fever swept over
the province so virulent that '' the crops died standing for
want of people to eat them."

Nowadays it is a common form of platform ora-
tory to accuse the British of brinoing famine and
plague, etc. to India, or at least of paving the way
for their advent I India was Utopia before the British
came and spoilt everything.

The following will give an idea of the country at
the time of annexation : —

The village communities while they held the property
of their own society sacred, habitually committed depre-
dations and aggressions on other villages or on travellers
and generally shared the plunder they obtained ivith the
ruling poicer or principal local authority. Revenue ad-
ministration there was none ; the cultivator followed the
plough with a sword in his hand, the collector came at the
head of a regiment, and if he fared well another soon
followed him to pick up the crumbs."

One can understand after reading the above
w^hat a villager in Ferozepore means when he refers to
some outrage as "Sikha Shahi" (Sikh rule). He usually

38

■cannot think of a worse epithet. Sir Henry Lawrence
wrote about Kaithal in Karnal district ceded to us
in 1843 and the change brought about by owe year
• of British rule.

ft'uch was the desolation of parts of the district that
looking fioni the tops of village towers, I could often see
miles and miles of good land without a single acre of culti-
vation The people were accustomed to pay no revenue

except upon absol ute compulsion Kaithal was one

year ago as lawless a tract of country as any in India ; but
something I hope has been effected for its improvement.
I may instance the J at village of Chatar, which was
formerly the very headquarters of opposition to authority,
and is said never to have admitted a Sikh within its quick-
set hedge. Tt was reckoned able to turn out a thousand
matchlocks, and the four wards of the village were barri-
caded against one another. So bad a name hhd the
place that when I visited it in April I was attended by a
hundred troopers and a company of infantry ; when I went
there in August I was accompanied by a single horseman,

and found the village one sheet of cultivation ,

As I was riding along the border with Raja Sarup Singh
we heard and saw the husbandmen singing as they drove
their cattle through the satui-ated fields. The Raja smiled
and called my attention to their air of security, observing
that if they had been so employed last year the chances
were that their cattle would have been carried off by some
foraging party."

It would be difficult to find a more glowing
tribute to British power, prestige and efficiency than the
above. Here is an extract from a settlement report
on a portion of the present Ambala Division when
under iSikh rule.

"The powerful villages onlv paid so much revenue
as they found it convenient to do. Few crimes were
acknowledged and such as were were punished by fine
Avitli imprisonment until payment. Open evidence was

39

unnecessary to conviction, the recent information of an
informer was ample, and the fact of possession of the
wherewithal more than conclusive. Murder was punish-
ed by fine ; and cheating, for^^ery and unnatural offences
were considered good jokes."

I hope these lines will catch the eye of some of
those politicians who inveigh against the injustice of
British rule in reference to the action taken in
Benoal and elsewhere under the Defence of India Act.

The following will give an idea of the Thai tract
of the Raw^alpindi Division : —

" The men stout, fierce and fearless of man or beast
clad in shaggy cloaks of brown camel's hair, drive out the
herds to feed, and with long matchlock in hand and burn-
ing match lie full length along the ground and listen for
strange footfalls on the horizon. Should an enemy
approach, the discharge of a single matchlock would be
heard over the whole plain and summon thousands of the
tribe to the point where danger threatened or plunder
allured.''

In the Salt-range tract —

Anarchy had reigned for centuries, and from the
oldest times the district had been overrun by hordes of

invaders from Greeks to Afghans But it was

the rule of the 8ikh Kai'dars, too far off from Lahore to
be under any check, that reduced the Rajputs and
Gakkars alike to their present state of poverty. Their
rule v/as a military despotism, and their aim to extermin-
ate all classes and families with any pretension to ruling
power, and their strongest measures were therefore levelled
against the Gakkars and all the gentry who shared with
them in the management of the countrj'. Accordingly, we
find them mere exiles, or reduced to abject poverty inso-
much that thej' are now often compelled to become tenants
under their former ploughmen. In the yeai-s preceding
annexation the high roads were universally unsafe. Pass-
ing through the limits of different tribes traAellers and

40

caravans had to satisfy the rapacity of each by paying-
blackmail, or they had to submit to be plundered, outraged^
and ill-treated, happy sometimes to escape with life."

The system of revenue collection with the Sikhs-
was to farm out the whole countr}^ to Kardars or
agents. The Kardar was responsible to the State
for a fixed amount, anything he could extract from
the people beyond that amount was his own property.

The Sikhs often actually took as much as one-half
the gross produce of an estate, besides a multitude of cesses :
our demand never exceeds one sixth, is frequently not
more than an eighth, a tenth or a twelfth, and in some-
cases not moi'e than a fifteenth of the average gross pro-
duce, valued at average prices for a period of 20 to 30 years.""

(Administration Report for 1872-73). A reliable
guide to the immediate change for the better brought
about by British rule is to be found in the prices of
food grains before and after the annexation of the
Punjab, the date of which was 1849. The figures
below are quoted in five-yearl}^ averages, showing
prices of wheab and gram in seers to the rupee.

Wheat.

Gram,

1841—45

... 29

35

1846—50

... 27

30

1851—55

... 37

48

1856—60

... 36

46

1861—65

... 25

29

Since those days prices have steadily risen owing
to the opening to India of the markets of the world
by which the pocket of the cultivator is directly
benefited. In Sikh times low prices were due to
the discouragement and oppression which were
placed in the way of production.

41

The Punjab has made steady jjrogress since-
annexation and has never looked back. The popula-
tion is world famed for its loyalty and attachment
to the Crown, and in the Great War " the sword arm
of India" has supplied more than a half of the Indian
Expeditionary Forces. Under German tuition and
aided by German tjold several thousand Sikh emitrrants
in America returned to India after war broke out to
raise the standard of rebellion. There were a certain
number of outbreaks, but the conspiracy was speedily
(juelled. The chief point to be borne in mind is
that the rural population in the affected tracts
was chiefly instrumental in giving th^ deith blow
to these plots. Government has always made the
Punjabi zamindar the forward plank of its policy, and
.seemingly the latter has thoroughly realised the fact.
A strong agrarian policy is the keystone to the arch
of British rule in the Punjab, and it is unlikely that
there wall be any change from this well-defined
and altogether logical scheme of governing the
Province.

42

VI.
RELATIONS WITH THE MAGISTRACY,

The question of relationship between the police
and magistracy is one of the greatest importance.
Here the connection with the Deputy Commissioner,
or District Magistrate as he is more commonly
called in his police capacity, is our primary con-
sideration. It cannot be too clearly impressed upon
the young police officer that the District Magistrate
is head of the district in every branch of its admin-
istration. Apart from the internal economy of the
force which is purely a police matter, the District
Mao-istrate is responsible for the direction and
control of criminal matters, so it is clear that the
■police must be subordinate to the District Magistrate
in this capacity, a fact which should never be
foro-otten. Take it as your golden rule never to
■quarrel with the District Magistrate. On the cordial
relations existing between you two hangs the success
oi: the whole criminal administration. This does
not of course mean that there should never be
diflerences of opinion, nor that the Superintendent
of Police should not press his point of view until
he is convinced to the contrary. The important
point is that unless the public see the two officers
working in complete harmony, serious harm is sure
to be the result. As a matter of fact a good
District Magistrate is the best friend the police
have, and it may be the fault of the police
i£ he is anything else. He can do an immense
amount to help and advance the good name of the
police, and the two must never be at logger-heads.
This is a sine qua non of sound police administra-
tion, and it is for this reason that Government

4S

insists oa constant personal meetings and co-operation
between the two officers. It is hardly necessary to
-add that no criticism of the District Magistrate
should ever go on in the presence ofc' subordinates. To
-avoid waste of time and energy it is a wise plan
to discuss any proposals verbally with the District
Magistrate first, and then to put in writing what
you have both agreed upon as the best course to
pursue. If tliis is not possible at any time, demi-
'official or U. O. correspondence is the best substitute.

In regard to the magistracy generally it is
•.safe to say that the more cordial the relations
between the two departments the higher the standard
of all criminal work. Every effort that may result
in the i\lagistrates raising their respect for the
police is well worth a trial. It is a matter of com-
mon knowledge, for instance, that when the Mao-is-
trate of the ilaqa holds a high opinion of the
Sub-Inspector in charge and treats him with courtesy
and puts trust in his word, that Sub-Inspector will
fight very shy of putting up doubtful or fishy
evidence before the Court, as he is loath to forego
the good opinion he has gained. In England the
police owe much of their success to the trust and
confidence reposed in them, and in regard to the
magistracy the same holds good in this country. Under
a Chief Court rule Magistrates are forbidden to
criticise the police in their judgments, but it is an
excellent plan to ask the Magistrates to refer any
bad police working by demi-official letter, after
which the files can be scrutinised and suitable
action taken.

It would be difficult to exagg3rate the impor-
tance of prompt disposal of criminal cases when they
eome up for trial Dilay is often fitil ; witnesses

44

forcjet the evidence, they are open to threats and!
temptation, the frequent absence from home entails
pecuniary loss while the trouble caused all round
renders the givinw- of evidence unpopular, prevents
tlie people from helping the police or telling wliat
they know. In short, the greater the delay the leas
the chance of conviction. Quite recently the Sessions
Judoe, Coimbatore, made the followino- i-emarks
when acquitting six persons of murder and kindi-ed
offences : — " It is of the first importance that cases,
of this nature should be committed (to Sessions)'
without any avoidable delay of any kind. Delay
either leads to the unnecessary detention of innocent
persons in jail or assists the guilty to escape the
])enalty of their crimes. From either point of \ icw'
it is in the highest degree undesirable."

These ar-e some of the evils attendant on delay-
but there are many others. To enumerate a few, one
might point out the w^aste of time to police and
witnesses in constantly attending Court and being
kept from other work, the labour of serving summonses,
and the expense to Government. To promote
efficiency and friendly relations with the magistracy
it has been found useful to have periodical meetings^
of the Magistrates and leading Police Officers with'
the District Magistrate presiding. Each department
can then point out its difficulties and troubles, and a
general discussion is usually productive of much good.

Now and then I have met Magistrates who'
boasted that they never let a witness go home before-
his statement had been recorded, and that they found
in the end this saved much time. Sometimes, on
the other hand, one finds Magistrates who seem to
find a "doubt" inmost cases, the benefit of which
must, of course, be given to the accused. These

45

.are the Courts which break the policeinanVs heart
they destroy the result of so much labour.

If the definition of " proved " in the Evidence
Act were fully realised 1 venture to think that we
should hear fewer complaints that the codes of law
are unsuited to India. The definition is so clear and so

■complete that I make no excuse for reproducing it : —

" A fact is said to be proved when, after con-
sidering the matters before it, the Court either
believes it to exist, or considers its existence so pro-
bable that a prudent man ought nitdt'v the circum-
stances of the particidar case (the italics are niine)
to act upon the supposition that it exists."

Is it too much to ask that tliis .splendid defini-
tion be framed in letters of gold and hung in the
immediate view of every Court to serve as an ever
present reminder, a torch to outline the guiding prin-
ciple in tlie decision of every case ?

The unsuitability to India of any code seems
to be neutralised by this guiding light. Acquittals
are the cause of many crimes, and especially of
murder. It is essential to remember that the
•entire village and even the neighbourhood is often
well aware of the true facts of a murder. They
see what seems to them a strong case fail in Court,
and witness the triumphal return of the accused to
his home. The deceased's relatives in disgust and
shame have been known to take the lav/ into their own
hands and mete out the punishment they consider
the law should have provided. In this way a real
blood feud has been started. Others see how easy
it is to kill an enemy and escape the law, so
self-restraint is relaxed, more especially in the slack
season of the hot weather, and a rush of
murders is the result. In time that single original

46

failure iiui}^ liavr- ended in nothing sliort of havoc^
over a large tract of country. The effect of acquittals,
on the murder-thermometer is a ]noblem of great
interest, and forms the subject of further discussion
in Chapter XL The Government Review on the
annual report of the Administration of Criminal
Justice in the Punjab for 1917 contains the following
remarkable passage in support of the theory advanced
above : — " The figures of recent 3'ears raise a doubt
whether there is not some connection between the
smaller percentages of convictions and death sentences^
and the increase in murders. This is not a point in-
which it is possible to form a definite conclusion
without a r-areful analj'sis of the figures for particular
districts. But it is not without significance that in a
certain district wliere in 1916 Government had to-
appeal against more than one order of acquittal and
to apply for enhancement to the extreme penalty in'
other cases, the number of murders in 1917 showed
an increase of no less than 58 per cent."

It was suggested once by one of the most famous-.
Punjab Commissioners that during the first few
years of their training every Assistant Commissioner
and Assistant Superintendent of Police should ex-
change roles for a certain period in order that
they might both obtain practical and first hand
knowledge of tlie difficulties which had to be faced
in tlie course of their respective duties. The proposal
would appear to be full of promise, but presumably
some practical diflRculties have prevented it from
being put into execution. Speaking for one side only^
I know the policeman often wishes the Judge or
Magistrate could come and see for himself the
numerous pitfalls and obstacles with which the-
investigating officer luis to contend, and gain)

47

practical experience of the way in which evidence
is collected and the general procedure which i»
followed. For instance, I myself had to be summoned
as a special witness in a big murder case for the trial
in Sessions merely to testify that case diaries had
to be copied at the thana before submission to head-
quarters. The fact was of supreme importance as
it explained what appeared to be an inexcusable delay
in the arrival of the fir.st diary in this case. Success
as it happened depended largely on this point, and
counsel for the Crown told me neither he nor the
Judge was aware that copies had to be made. On
the other hand it cannot be questioned that the
police officer would gain immeasurably by a practical
knowledge of magisterial work. It may be remarked
that in some countries he is actually invested w^ith
certain magisterial powers. Any course of training
is worth consideration which will conduce to fuller
understanding of mutual difficulties and consequently
lead to more whole-hearted cooperation between
these two departments of Government.

48

VII.
RELATIONS WITH THE PEOPLE.

It is small wonder that the new arrival in
the East is somewhat overwhelmed by the
wealth of new emotions, sights and sounds which
meet him at every turn. In time he ceases to marvel
or even to notice, until some newcomer brings to
mind the novelty of the unchanging East A famous
journalist who was touring India wrote an account
of the scenery from the verandah of a certain house.
The cwner of the house told me it gave him quite
a shock, when he read the book and compared the
account with the original, to realise all that he had
missed. And so it is with the people, they rouse
one's curiosity at first, and it is well to follow this
up at once while interest is keen, and to acquire
some knowledge of their customs, superstitions
and habits. The knowledge acquired will stand
you in good stead throughout your service, and I will
therefore try to put down a few elementary facts in
the hope they may stimulate interest and persuade
the reader to take up research on his own account.

It is staggering at first to be told that your
Indian companion as he goes along- a crowded street
or road can tell fairly accurately the caste and
occupation of nearly every person you meet ! It is
a fact nevertheless. Let me give an example or
two. Riding along once in the Jhang district I
passed four or five men wrapped in blankets, carry^
ing long bamboo sticks, and being suspicious of the
sticks I asked who they were. One of those riding
behind almost immediately told me they were

49

Hindus of a certain caste from the neighbourhood or
"town of Hyderabad in MianwaJi, that they had
lost a parent and were returning from Hardwar
-after cousignino the ashes of the departed to the
Ganoes. Now that was a good deal of information
gleaned from a mere glance, but it was accurate
enough. Hyderabad was a good 80 miles away, but
when I questioned the party I found every detail
was correct. They belonged to the town and had
been to the Ganges for the reason given. The signs
were there for him who runs to read. To shave
head, face and eyebrows is a regular act of
mourning among Hindus when a parent dies. The
long "male" bamboos are purchased by pilgrims to
Hardwar, and the blankets are very necessary, for
the pious Hindu on such a mission is forbidden to
lie on a bed till he has returned home and fed his
famil}' Brahman priest. The villager riding with
me recognised the neighbourhood where they lived
from the cut of their jib. This will appear the most
■extraordinary deduction of the lot, but it is true
iinough, as another instance will show. In an import-
«,nt dacoity case in Jhelum a few years ago the
investigating Inspector received information that
three of the gang who were armed with revolvers
had gone to the Atharan Hazari Fair in Jhang
-district intending to commit an offence on any likely
visitors. With two Jhelum zamindars he started
off at once as time was short. None of the party
knew the dacoits by sight, and there was no time to
fetch others who did, but they relied on being able
to spot Salt Range men in a Jhang crowd. Thous-
ands of people attend this fair but the pursuers were
«,ble to pick out the trio and arrest them with the
assistance of the local police. Each man had a
revolver in his possession !

50

The European can never hope to attain perfec-
tion of this kind, but much can be learnt if he is
keen. First of all, one mijjjht start by learnintj to
differentiate between a Hindu and a Mahomniedan by
his name. A considerable advance on this would be
to differentiate merely from the appearance of the
man. The first method will be loarnt fairly soon by
practice, as Hindu and Mahommedan names are
very distinct. I ^ive some of the more common
names below ; whether they come as prefix or suffix
in a name they should show at once whether the
bearer is a Hindu or a Mahommedan.

Hindu. — Amar, Bisben, Chaud, Das, Gopal,
Kirpa, Kishore, Lai, Mai, Nand, Narain, Nath, Ram,
Rai, Rattan, Shiv, Sewa, Sarup, Sant, Sita. The
commonest Hindu titles are Lala (derived from Lara
or lord) Rai, Seth, etc.

Mahommedan — Abdul, Ali, Allah, Bakhsh, Din,
Ellahi, Fazal, Ghulam, Hassan, Hussain, Haidei-, Haq,
Imam, Inait, Khan, Karim, Khuda, Mahomed, Rahira,
Shah, Ullah. Mahommedan titles are Sheikh, Khan,
Mian, etc.

There are a few general names connnon to both
religions such as Amir, Bahadur, Buta, Barkat, Daulat,
Hakim, Jewan, Kahi, Karam, Mehr, but the combina-
tion will invariably be distinctive. In recent years a
practice has grown up among the educated classes of
employing the name of the caste or sub-caste {got) as
a surname. The system has much to recommend it,
and is becoming universal. Thus to distinguish him-
self from the hundreds of others who bear the same
name, Mr. Jai Lai, Barrister, will add Chona (a branch
of the Khatris) to his name, and when reading for the
bar he was probably known as J. L. Chona, Esq. In
the same way Mr. A. R. Lodi is the name of Mr. Abdur
Rahman, a rising star of the Lodi Pathans. Sikhs

51

also adopt the practice which as I said before, is as-
popular as it is useful.

No definite rule can be given which would
be brief enough to help the beginner materially
to distinguish Hindu from Mahommedan names -
but this comes easily enough with practice. Detec-
tion by appearance is far more difficult, and
requires both study and practice. I can give a
few hints as regards Punjabis, but they are-
bound to be very incomplete, and it must be
remembered that few rules in India are of universal
application, while education and progress bring
about many changes.

Mahommedans have what appear to me harder
and more rugged faces than Hindus, they are more-
biblical in appearance. The sign manual however
is the clipped moustache round the mouth, the
ends being uncut. The idea is to prevent food
from touching any hair as it passes into the
mouth, hair being regarded as unclean. The true
follower of the Prophet should not shave his beard,
but modern ideas and education have changed
many prejudices and it is not uncommon nowada3^s-
to find Mahommedans with shaved chins and
undipped moustaches. The hair of the head is-
variously treated : manj' tribes shave the head, a
rectangular patch on the toj) of the head being^
kept entirely free of hair. In the Western Punjab-
especially it is a sure sign of the Mahommedan
when we find the hair cut S(]uare at tlie nape of
the neck, on the pudding basin principle. Among:
old men it is not unconnnon to find the beard
dyed with henna to a bright brick red. Hindus
do use this dye, but it is mo.stly confined to-
Mahommedans. The women generally wear trouser«

52

while Hindus wear skirts : the ditoti or loin-cloth
is a purely Hindu garment. Mahominedans button
the coat or shirt on the left, Hindus and Sikhs
on the rigid . This difference is easily detected
amono- villagers, who wear a shirt with only one
fastening at the neck, nainel}' a small cloth button
fitting into a loop. Most Indians wear rings and
the illiterate generally wear a signet with the
ownei'S name carved on it to serve as a signature. A
Hindu wears this on the left hand and a Mahom-
medan on the rif/ht. The piujri is a great help in
determining race and caste : that there are great differ-
ences is very soon apparent but a lengthy disquisition
would not be very helpful, only practice will really
teach. There are a few definite signs neverthless.
A green pugri should only be worn by a Haji,
i.e., a Muslim who has performed the Haj or
pilgrimage to Mecca. As to other colours the
Mahommedan prefers indigo blue which the Hindu
and Sikli dislike ; on the other hand he will avoid
red. It will also be noticed that the Mahommedan
leaves the end of his pugri (palla or shamla)
hanging down liis back while the Hindu more
often tucks it in. Among household .servants it
is not considered respectful to have the shainla
loose, wiiile labourers and poor people use a minimum
of cloth and there is usually none left over to
han<£ down.

Other characteristics of the Mahommedan are
that he prays, sleeps and is buried with the
face towards the Kaaba at Mecca. A grave is
dug in the shape of the letter L, and the corpse
is laid in the ledge thus made and not at the
bottom of the grave which is directly below the
•opening. The ledge is fairly high, and after the

corpse has been laid in the grave the bandages are
untied so that the body can assume a sitting position
the lirst night after burial to render an account of the
life on earth to the two angel messengers of God.
The Mahoramedan worships in a mosque {masj id) the
Hindu in a temple {niatidir). The former believes
in the Qoran, the latter in the A'edas and Shastras,
the Sikh in the Granth. The Mahommedan
abominates the pig but eats the cow : a meat eating
Hindu will eat pork, but to him the cow is sacred and
special precautions have to be taken everywhere so
that he should never set eyes on beef. According
to their scriptures every inch of the cow represents
some deity or spiritual force in the Hindu my-
thology. The impurity of the pig is said to be
based on the legend that this animal was created to
scavenge Noah's Ark. It will be remembered tliat
Mahomraedans believe in a great deal of the Bible,
and regard the patriarchs and Jesus Ciirist as true
and great Prophets. The great Prophet Mahomed
himself was partly influenced in his doctrines by
the early Christians in Arabia. The strict
Mahommedan should never touch liquor, but it is
noticeable that when he does take to drink he is
extremely intemperate. The Hindu is fettered by
no prohibitions of this nature, but tobacco is.
forbidden to Sikhs. When a Jat village in Feroze-
pur has just concluded one of those riots for
which the district is notorious and there are a
number of broken heads going off to hospital, the
policeman often wishes that Guru Gobind Singh
had not banned the peacemaking hugqa to his
followers. The Sikh makes up for the loss of
tobacco by an unfortunate liking for spirits with
which he often primes himself before committing
crimes of violence. Recently however there has.

.5t

been an improvement, and tlie Sikh Temperance
. Societies are doing good work in this respect.

A Mahommedan will usually eat food cooked by a
Hindu — it will be noticed that most of the sweetmeat
shops are kept by Hindus — but he will not smoke
from the same huqqa. Tuesday is looked upon
as unlucky ; no Mahommedan will start a journey
-or anew project - on that day if he can avoid it.
Amongst Punjabis generally it is considered im-
modest for a husband and wife to take any
notice of or speak to one another in the presence
of their parents, and a woman will never tell you
the name of her husband, while the latter will
not readily repeat the name of his wife. All
classes have a great fear of the evil eye (nazar-
i-bad) : Europeans are believed to possess this
unenviable distinction so it is unwise to express
your admiration for a pretty child or a handsome
horse or bullock, etc. It will be noticed that
■ every piece of craftsmanship, be it a woman's fancy-
work, or a fine piece of carving, will have an
intentional flaw in it : this is due to the same
cause — to avert the evil eye. Many wear charms
to guard against it : a favourite form is a silver
locket (taiviz) round the neck or arm containing
a couplet, or among Mahommedans a verse from
the Qoran : this is the phylactery we read of in
the Bible. " He who is bitten by a snake may
escape but not he on whom the evil eye has
fallen."

It is well to remember that all classes are
• extremely superstitious, and that an evil omen has
its full signiticance. The superstitions and methods
«of avoiding evil omens are so varied that it
'would be impossible to detail even the most

55

important. It is hardly surprising therefore that
the people are most prone to believe in rumours,
and it would appear that the more absurd a
rumour ma}' be the more credence it will receive among
the ignorant. There is also a mysterious means
by which news gets abroad in an apparently im-
possible manner. Most of us have most probably had
experience of that, but I must record one war
rumour, wliich was both neat and clever. A man in
some Frontier district was said to have had a dream
in which he saw a Crown on a block of ice : the ice
melted and the Crown came to the earth below.
The vernacular for crown is taj, and the word for
ice is written hrf : the first word consists of the
initials of Turkey, Austria and Germany, and the
second word gives those of Britain, Russia and
France. Wliat could be clearer from the dream
than that the Allies would be beaten and the
sooner everyone realised it the better ? ! Subse-
quent events however have probably demolished
the reputation of this dreamer prophet.

A good deal of confusion exists in the minds
of many Europeans regarding the various branches
of the Maliommedan priesthood. The foUowinor
terms are often heard, namely, UJama, Moulvi,
Imam, Muazzan, Pir, and it might be as well to
distinguish them clearly. Let us take the Moulvi
first : he is a man of high education, and is learned
in the law of his religion, which he is expected
to expound. A body of Moulvis is called Ulama
and bears a weight of great responsibility: it may
issue a fatwa, a sort of Muslim equivalent of a papal
bull, which would be binding on all. A Mullah
is not usually a learned man, he is more of a
pj-eachcr, itinerant or not, but ever}' village mosque

66

will have its Mullah. On the Frontier he carries
much weigiit, and is largely used to rouse religious en-
thusiasm ; that is his chief function e\ erywhere. The
Imam of a mosque is the man who leads the prayers.-
facing towards the Kaaba. The Muazzan intones th&
call to prayer (azan). The duties of Iiunni and
Muazzan are often combined, and a Mullah will often
act as Imam, but he can never hope to be a Moulvi^
who is the Muslim equivalent of the Hindu Swauii
or Rishi, and the Sikh Guru. Though the ten Gurus
are gone the term is used nowadays^ as against
the Granthi or reader of the Granth Sahib, who
roughly corresponds to the Imam.

A Pir is one of a class quite apart from tiie
above. He is a kind of spiritual guide, and his
disciples (jnjtrifZs) maj^ come from hundreds of miles
away. Pirl-inuridi is a great feature of social
life in the Punjab, and especially in the Western
districts. The headquarters of every Pir are at a
shrine {khangah) and he is often the descendant
of the holy man who lies buried there. There
are thousands of these shrines, constantly \isited
by their followers for one purpose or other^
The most famous Punjab shrines are at Sakhi
Sarwar in Dera Ghazi Khan and Pakpattan in
Montgomery. Fairs are held annually, attended
b}^ many thousands of pilgrims from far and near.
The former fair is also visited by a certain num-
ber of Hindus. Some shrines are believed to possess
special properties such as a cure for leprosy or
the bite of a mad dog, and others are believed to
give sons, or cure sick children. The dog-bite
shrine is at Muftian near Jhelum. The only con-
dition for a cure is that all bandages should be
removed from the wound before and after the visit.

67

'the idea is probably that the flow of blood will
wash out the poison. The shrine is very popular,
•my own orderly preferred it to Kasauli, and the
villagers have it that there has never been a
failure where the conditions were duly observed.
Some of these places contain the most beautiful
little sanctuaries, well worth a visit, but the
visitor should remember before starting that he
Avill be required to remove his shoes before entering
the shrine. The power of a Pir over his followers
is enormous : often the criminal will make straight
for his Pir, confess to him, and act with entire
faith in his advice. The latter is usually of a spiritual
nature, but it seems to give crveat comfort. The
leading Pirs of Jhelum district have also done
much to encourage recruiting during the war. I
remember getting into conversation with a man
along a Salt Range road some years ago. He
told me his three sons were in the Army, and when
I complimented him, he said simply, " The Pir
of Bharpur said I should give them to the Sarkar,
and he is a good man." Not long after I saw
«,nother example of the faith in a visit to a shrine.
My wiie and I were sitting at dark one scorching
■evening on the crest of a hill in the Salt Range,
and watched an oldish man toiling up the steep
path and we exchanged greetings as he stopped
to get his breath. He had been out since before
dawn to visit a shrine nearly 20 miles away. He
went fairly often for his only son was fighting
for the Sarkar : the journey was long and trying,
but well worth it for the lad had come through
service in France safely as also his " Lewis machine
gun " course. We were most impressed by the
faith of this simple old fellow, who had given
his only son to fight in the Empire's battles.

58

A ]\I:ilioniinedan is allowed by his religion to--
have up (o four wives, but on the other hand divorce
is a very simple affair. " I divorce thee " repeated
thrice in the presence of two witnesses is sufficient
to dissolve the matrimonial bond. When said'
twice only the wife may return to her husband
after reconciliation, but a third repetition of the
three fateful words is irrevocable. It is curious
that while divorce is so simple the oath of divorce
is the most bindinc^. In the Western districts
a,nd the Pindi division, your villager will swear
by the Qoran where he will not swear by the-
divorce oatli. '" May my wife hb divorced from
me, etc., etc., if I do not tell the truth " is the-
formula, and it is well to remember the real fear
of perjury under this oath. Divorce is confined
to Mahonnnedans, Hindus and Sikhs do not as a rule
recognise it.

I have discussed many Hindu characteristics in
dealing \\\i\\ those of Mahommedans but a few more
may be mentioned. The Hindu crops the hair close to-
the head, but usually leaves a scalplock {hodi or
clioti) by which Vishnu will be able to draw him
up to heaven. Among the gentry and welli
educated, however, the scalplock is often di.scardedi
nowadays. 'I he chin is generally shaved or the
beard cut short, but some of the educated classes
shave the upper lip also ; this is populai-ly known
as " karzan fashun," an interesting reminder of
the lasting impression made on the Indian mind
by the strong personality of Lord Curzon. The
small cap of felt, cloth, or muslin is a sure sign-
of the Hindu, while the new-fashioned cap of fur
or astracan is Mahommedan. When the Hindu
wears a jnujri he prefers red or saffron in addi-
tion to white. His cooking pots are made of brass.

59

while a M.-iliuiimiytliiii uses copper or earthenware,
Brahmniis and other Hindus, notably the members
of the Ai-ya Saujcij, wear the sacred thread or
jaiieo. Tliis usually consists of three strands of
cotton twistfd totjether, worn next the skin and
hanginii aci-oss the chest like a cross-belt long
enough ti> itacii tli*- waist. ]t is a sign of puri-
fication ami is worn by boys after the age of
seven ytais. I'.i.ys l)elow that age are regarded
as unclean in tluit they are incapable of breaking
caste rules, etc. At'tt-r that age a boy has to abide
by chilli I. I in- >y>-trin which forbids a Hindu to
eat or ihink anything which has been touched by
a non-Hindu. When you see a caste mark on
the forehead of a man you can be certain that
he is a Hindu. When you hear bells ringing or
conches it liorns lieing blown in a temple 3'ou
can be sure that it is a Hindu place of worship.
Beyond the call to prayer Mahommedans conduct
their worship with no noise or ostentation : with
Sikhs there is a good deal of singing and chanting.

The Sikhs have various peculiar characteristics.
Every strict folknver of the ten Gurus should
invariably wear the live kakkus or articles beginning
with the letter K of the Gurmukhi alphabet ; these
are the ke-^ or long hair done up in a knot on the
top of the head ; the kavghi or wooden comb stuck
into the Ar-s' ; the hicJJi or short drawers ; the
kirpatb or dagger, and the kara or steel bangle.
The hirpaii is especially exempted under the Arms
•Act, but a large number of Sikhs will be seen
nowadays who wear only a few of the above.
The Sikh regiments of the Indian Army, however,
have done a great deal to foster and maintain
these and similar traditions of the race. The Sikh

60

always has his head covered, and invariably wears a
pugri. Even for games such as iiockey he will
often wear a small wrapping ipug) round the
kes. No one is born a Sikh, he is only admitted
to full membership of the faith when he takes
the pahul or Sikh baptism, for preference at the
Golden Temple, Amritsar. Anyone can thus become
a true Sikh, and proselytism is very flourishing
just at present. There are many clans or gots
of Sikhs, nearly sixty altogether and possibly more.
The true Sikh never cuts the hair on head or face,
and this is the easiest method of telling any member
•of the fraternit}-. They are famous as soldiers,
excellent cultivators, and are mostly to be found in
the central districts of the Punjab such as Amrit-
sar, Ferozepore, Lahore and Ludhiana. The three
Phulkian States, called after Phul, the common an-
cestor of the family of the founder, tkeJia£a£[«A£^th^
f&ondef Ala Singh, are also Sikh, and bear a very
proud record. The Sikh worships one God, following
the teachings of the Granth Sahib or sacred book. He
venerates the cow, eats meat, but only that which has
been killed by jhatka or decapitation. His place of
worship is known as a gurdwara but his religion
contemplates worship in itself rather than the
minutiae of time and place. The Sikh form
of salutation should be noted, " wah Ourii ji ha,
khalsa siri wah Guru ji ki fateh, " which may be
roughly translated as " victory to our Guru and the
purity of our religion."

The Kukas are an offshoot of Sikhism. Their
founder was an Arora of Rawalpindi, but his name
is little known. The sect was revived b^ the
well known Ram Singh, a carpenter of Bhainiala
in Ludhiana, who gave himself out to be a.

61

reincarnation of Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth or
last Guru. His teachings were largely intended to
promote a renaissance of the Sikh religion and
power. This ultimately culminated in a Kuka rising
at Malerkotla near Ludhiana in 1872. The prompti-
tude of the authorities in executing 80 of the ring-
leaders quickly suppressed the rising and undoubtely
prevented much loss of life. Kam Singh was
deported to Burma, but the dera at Bhainiala
still exists, and the sect claims a large number
of followers. Kukas tie the inigt^ in a peculiar
fashion, and wear a necklace or mala of woollen
beads.

Another important sect are the Mazhabis
or Sikhs by religion. When Teg Bahadur, the 9th
Guru, was executed by the Moghul Emperor at
Delhi a body of sweepers (Chuhras) rescued the
head of the corpse and brought it to Anandpur in
Hoshiarpur. As a recognition of this devoted act
they and their descendants were allowed to embrace
Sikhism which they still follow fairly strictly.
They are enlisted in the Army, but as they are
not admitted as social equals by other Sikhs they
are taken only in selected regiments, such as the
Pioneers. Orthodox Mahommedans are roughly
divided into Sunnis and Shiahs, the former being
in the great majority of over 97 per cent, in the
Punjab. I do not propose to detail the differences
between these two sects. There is a sub-sect,
however, of which more information might be
given. The followers of the sect are variously
known as Mirzais, Ahmadis, Qadianis, after their
founder Mirza Ghulara Ahmed of Qadian in Gur-
daspur. The Mirza was born in 1839 and claimed
to be the promised Mahdi or Messiah of the

62

Maliornmedans. His voluminous w ritiuus .ind teach-
ings are not accepted by orthodox Mush' ins, but
the sect which came into existence aViont 1889 is
said to be growing in numbers. At'tei' the Mirza's
death in 190(S, his followers split up into two par-
ties one remaining at Qadian, and tin- otlu^i- transfer-
ring its headquarters to Lahore.

Among Hindus the orthodox styl<' themselves
as followers of the Sanatan Dharni, and the large
majority of Punjab Hindus may bf held to
belong to this society or sahha. There are of
course many other Hindu sects, too numerous to
recount here, but mention should be made of one,
namely the Arya Samaj. The founder was Swami
Dayanand and the sect came into for-mal existence
in 1877 ; the Swami died in 1883. The numbers
increased rapidly up to the time of his death, and
Aryas are to be found in every district and
Native State. The motto of the founder was
•' Back to the Vedas and original Shastras,"
and his doctrines were set forth in his book the
" Satyarth Parkash." The headquarters of the sect
are at Lahore, but it has now split up into two
antagonistic sections, the meat-eating as against
the vegetarian party. There are man}^ (jther sects
in the Punjab, but the above are the most important.

At all times it is one of ths most important
items of a Police Officer's daily work to be easily
accessible to all who wish to interview him. The
doings of orderlies and chaprasis at our very doors
are often disgraceful : if a tip is not forthcoming
respectable men are not offered a chair, lliey are kept
waiting for hours, and a thousand petty iiisults and
annoyances are their portion. Something has been

63

'done of late years to improve matters by the provi-
sion of mulaqati rooms, but even so there is still
many a chance of oppression. One may never be
-able to stop all this entirely, but things can be made
more difficult for the hungry orderly at the door.
I see no grave crime in the acceptance of a small
tip given by the departing visitor ; it is common
■enough in England, where it is a voluntary affair.
But in India the tip is often demanded, and insults
.are offered at the next visit if it is not given, the
result being that visitors keep away and much in-
formation of value is lost to the District Officer. I
hold that these visits at one's private house are of
great value Many persons will only give informa-
tion to a Police Officer in private, and moreover his
subordinates never know how much he hears of their
inner doings, so mulaqati work provides a distinct
check on malpractices and a fruitful source of informa-
tion. Everything should therefore be made as easy
and pleasant for visitors as possible. With this end in
view choose your office room in your house with
great care. If possible select and arrange it so that
you command a clear view from your table of the
spot where your visitors will be asked to wait. A
clear open space under a shady tree, with a cZurri
half a dozen chairs and a bench, provide the initial
requirements. A shuldari from your lines can be
rigged up as an awning, but better still is a shainiana
without the side pieces. They cost little, and are far
more suitable in the Punjab than mulaqati
rooms, which are either stuffy or cold according to
the time of year, and are not much liked by those
who are to be supposed to use them and who are
generally to be found sitting outside. With your
shamiana and a table with a few newspapers
.arranged as given above, visitors can come and go as

61

they like, and no orderly or cliaprasi should be-
allowed to approach the place. Most officials have a
more or less hxed time for meeting visitors, and by
going to the door and calling up the first man your-
self, you can dispense entirely with your orderly's
presence, and you will find the result more than
worth the little trouble taken. These doorkeepers-
moreover often have their ears to the keyhole, and
are a fruitful source of information leaking out.
Keep chem out of the wa}^ and have your office
room strictly private. I have dwelt on this question
at some length, but its importance is ample justi-
fication.

Having now got your visitor safely into the
room you will often find it a task of no small skill
and patience to do your personal part of the interview.
He is by nature shy, generally reticent, and often
reluctant to make a complaint unless he has come-
specially to do so. Sometimes he is an artist at
making his complaint against an official without
directly saying anything. An example will
explain : —

A local notable was anxious to get the Sub-
Inspector transferred as this officer kept rather too
watchful an eye on certain transactions in which oui7
friejid was concerned. Instead of making up some
complaint he came to me full of the Sub-Inspector's-
praises, and after a lengthy recitation he, with
apparent inadvertance, let slip a hint regarding im-
moral relations which the Sub-Inspector had estab-
lished, and then with an appearance of reluctance
admitted that this might be the cause of consider-
able local trouble. A week later a friend was sent
to corroborate this story which was in reality false..
But for a luck}^ chance the Sub-Inspector might

65

have been wrongfully judged and transferred. Thus
one has always to be on guard, and it is safest to
weigh all information from every point of view, and
never to take action without carefully verifying it
first. "Believe nothing you hear and only half
what you see" is said to be a wise maxim. I have
known great injustice done through blind reliance
on information which seemed sound and disinterested.

Again, much patience is required during the
Tnulaqati hours of the day's work. You feel hurried
with a heavy day ahead, while you have to sit and
listen to someone discussing every subject but the
one he has really come about. At last come the
words "^ineri arz hid hai (1 also ha v^e a request to-
make). It is trying, but it pays to be patient : the
Indian dislikes being cut short, and dubs you a man
oitez tabiat (sharp temper). He is afraid of that,
he will withhold information, and remember he will
tell his friends. It is far better to let everyone have
his say, then form your opinion, give your answer and
stick to it. You will leave him more satisfied and
he will moreover respect you.

When a rupee or a sovereign is presented to you
by a visitor or by anj^ one you meet on the road,
don't imagine (1) that it is a form of begging and that
you are asked to add another coin to it, or (2) that it
is offered as a present to you. Either alternative is
apt to make 3'^ou very angry, and the result may
be disastrous. The custom is meant to denote loyalty,
it is the offer of tribute to the representative of
Government, and you are expected just to touch the
coin which the owner will then return to his pocket.
The word for an offering of this kind is nazar ; it
has no semblance to a bribe and is merely offered
out of politeness. Until quite recently it was the

66

custom for many visitors to bring a small present
or dali of fruit or flowers when visiting officials.
The whole thing was an intolerable nuisance for one
often had to accept such things for fear of hurting
the feelings of the donor by a refusal. The Punjab
•Government has earned the gratitude of all by the
recent fiat that the acceptance of any dali is abso-
lutely banned. Contractors were a special nuisance
in this respect, and they had most subtle methods
•of forcing unwelcome attentions upon officials. The
inexperienced cannot be too wary of the genii s con-
tractor : fortunately the Police Officer has not very
many or very big contracts in his gift, so he is
spared the trial of many dealings with the species.
It is very unusual for bribes to be offered outright
to British Officers — their reputation is too well-known
for that — but I cannot help mentioning the following
• case. The European Sessions Judge sent to me for
enquiry a letter in which he had been offered a bribe.
It concerned a case which he was trying, and par-
ported to be from party A offering him Rs, 500
if he would decide the case against part}^ B. The
enquiry showed quite clearly that B had written the
letter in the name of A, hoping that the British judge
would be so disgusted and insulted at the offer that
he would promptly decide the cose in fav^our of B !!

The Indian is naturally polite. Too much stress
cannot be laid on our being strictly polite in return.
Politeness from officials is more than appreciated, it is
positively treasured, and i : is one of the most valuable
commodities ia the outfit of the successful admin-
istrator. It may and should be combined with the
greatest firmness, but it comes into play first. An
Indian official of great experience told me that the
"unrest" in this country was entirely due to the

67

treatment, accorded to his countrymen by Europeans.
I do not agree that this is the entire or main cause, but
it shows the importance which is attached to the
subject.

Further, make a serious study of your visitors,
and try to remember their names and connections from
the very first, so that you may know them next time,
for this is much appreciated. In your morning ride
round the Irazaar a friendly nod a)id an enquiry after
his health will be the source of immense gratification
to any aquaintance you may meet, for he will con-
sider lie has been publicly honoured. Very possibly
you will find him actively assisting in the next case
which occurs iu his neighbourhood. The Indian values
izzat above all things, and the official who bears
that in mind and acts accordingly will seldom go
wrong. Thus it is wise, and moreover good manners,
to take notice of every salaam which is made as you
pass along. I remember well the delighted smile of a
solitary bhishti along the Mian Mir road when the
present Queen, then Princess of Wales, graciously
ackowledged his humble salaam as her carriage
swept past. It seems almost superfluous to mention
this were it not for the fact that so many of us from
one reason or another often omit to acknowledge the
Oriental salutation.

Let me add that a salaam should always be
given with the right hand.

The Indian is more sensitive about his izzat than
the Westerner can realise. Even the lowest menial
has his izzat among his brethren, and any blow
to this feeling is a matter of serious moment to
him. Government studies the question with most
scrupulous care, especially in its dealings with the
rulers of Native States, and the same idea should

68

be constantly kept in mind in the everyday work
of the district. The kursi-oiashini system is a part
of the scheme and deserves special mention. Various
people are entitled by virtue of their po.sition to sit
on a chair when visiting officials, but Government
recognises individual merit by the courtesy grant of
the distinction to respectable people who would
not otherwise be entitled to it. A man who enjoys
this privilege is known as a kursi-nasJdn. There is a
maximum for each district which may not be exceeded.
Graded above this comes the Divisional, and Provincial
and Viceregel Darbari system. This entails still
higher honours, conferring on the holdei the privilege •
of an invitation to a seat in Durbar presided over
respectively by the Commissioner, the Head of the
Province, and lastly the Viceroy himself. Wheu
addressing a kursi-nashin the courtesy pronoun ap for
" you" should be used, coupled as a rule with a
polite enquiry after the visitor's health.

69

VIII.
EXAMPLE AND PRECEPT.

" Nothing is so persuasive as a character which
is felt to be upright." So said Isocrates the Athenian,
-and what was true for his audience we may hold
to be doubly so for India. Another form of the
same thing is contained in the two words "personal
factor" the importance of which is so often upper-
.most in the administration of a district. The British
•officer, howev^er, viens conscia recti, is sometimes apt
to lose sight of the fact that his every action is
•carefully watched and studied by thousands, and
that he should be very careful in all he does and says.
I can only compare his position to that of a master
-at an English Public School, and I mean by "master"
ithe real thing, the man who loves his work, is loved
and respected by his boys, and is an example to them
throughout life, a model which seems to be ever
present long years after school days are past. The
" boys " in India are the entire population of the
■district or whatever division you choose to call it.
.Many of us forget or never realise the close " vetting "
>to which we are subjected on taking over a new

• charge. First and foremost is the question, hare

• ghar ka ya chote ghar ka ? which might be inter-
preted "does he come of good stock or not ? " Then

■one's peculiarities, foibles, temper, habits, etc., are
^carefully studied. On the very announcement of a
transfer those who are concerned will write to their
friends asking for this information regarding the new
incumbent of any and every office. As far as Indian

70

officials are coucerned family and caste carry enor-
mous weight with the people, and I would place these
qualifications far above any other when considering
the claims for appointment.

All classes pay great attention to the family
status and breeding of Indian officials as well as
British. The first concern is to discover the caste of
the new arrival, the rest is a secondary consideration.
Thus you will often find that your lambardar, or
zaildar knows ]ns taJimldar or thanadar by his caste,,
and has no idea whatever of his actual name. He
may be called Shah Ji (Syad) or Pundit Ji (Brahman),
and that is iiuite sufficient for the village community.

Now connect this up with the quotation at the
beginning of the chapter, and the supreme importance
of example is at once apparent. If this fact were
more often borne in mind the European official would
sometimes shape his actions more carefully, and with
correspondingly satisfactory results. J\Jr. Ramsay
Macdonald says in his book on India, that when he
mentioned the Sahib's Travelling Allowance to the
local babu a broad smile was the immediate result. I
believe that most Europeans are scrupulously honest
about " T.A., " but all are not. It is clearly laid down>
that T.A. is not supposed to be a source of income, a
fact which is sometimes forgotten, Caesar's wife
must be above suspicion, and it is a certainty that
the man who never makes a doubtful claim for T.A.,
who is punctilious about attending office , and parade,
who returns prompth^ from casual leave, who uses
no Government property in his own house, etc., etc.,
will find it easier to check such malpractices amon^
subordinates, and will find the task of ensuring com-
pliance very much facilitated. I have sometimes beea

71

amazed by some chance discov^ery at the minute
knowledge of my doings in out of the way parts of
the district. Tlie Punjabi is an exceedingly capable
" vet " and he knows his officers inside out. Therefore,
even at the expense of a little priggishness, keep up
a careful standard of rectitude. Try to realise that
your every action is known, commented upon, and
acted upon.

I have noticed officials sometimes who are very
careless of their personal appearance, and do not
live with sufficient slioiv especially in camp. For
instance, an office-, who in order to save money,
lives on chcipattie-s instead of bread, and goes on
tour with one servant only, is forgetting that he
has a position lo maintain, and is losing caste all
round. It is a case of noblesse ohlifje. We are
supposed to be raising the standards of the Indian
people, so bring your example to bear first, and
then you will find striking results from your
precepts.

In the course of your career you will constantly
come across cases of Indian officials who have been
bribe takers in one district but not in another. Study
the question and you will often find that the change
has been due to the District Officer at the head of
affairs. I refer entirely to the example of rectitude in
what are called small matters set by different officers,
with the consequent toning up or the opposite
re-acting on subordinates. On the whole it is un-
questioned that the British record in India is one
in which our nation can take the greatest pride, and I
only draw attention to certain things which seem ta
be forgotten at times. My notes are by waj^ of
caution and not of accusation. My experience is
that a very great deal can be done to improve hy

72-

precept those with whom we have to work, but the
precept is immeasurably strengthened by the force
of an example which Is set with meticulous
jcare.

INVESTIGATION

The regulations provide that in certain serious
types of crime a gazetted officer should supervise the
tJiKjuiry on the spot. Not infrequently one hears
discussions as to the uselessness of the j)ractice.
Some hold that it is a pure waste of time and Gov-
ernment money, that a European cannot really in-
\'estio,'ate, and that as a rule he finds nothinc,^ to do
when he does get to the spot beyond hearing a few
statements, and that in any case he almost invari-
ably arrives too late. If evidence is to be faked,
it is all complete long before he arrives, or perhaps
the case was so clear that there was nothing to be
done. Though I am not prepared to deny that there
is much to be said from this point of view, never-
theless there is a great deal that a British officer
can do, and I offer the following notes accordingly.
They are founded on actual experience, and so may
be useful.

In the Punjab murder is by far the commonest
crime that finds tlie gazetted officer taking a share
in the enquiry. Ciu'iously enough, it is the mur-
derer more than any other offender who confesses
his crime. When he has had time to cool down
however, and realise the penalty incurred he almost
invariably retracts the confession and accuses the
police of torture, or at any rate of jiressure. It is
of considerable assistance to the Court to know that
a gazetted officer was on the spot, that he
questioned the accused in private and that no ac-
cusation was then made, and no signs of torture, etc.,
were noticed.

74

Again, it is not questioned that the presence of
a superior officer incites local notables to exert
themselves and to give firsthand proof of their energy
and ability. This may be of great value especi-
ally in dacoity cases. The presence of an officer is
also a check on bribery and malpractices generally.
He is also able to steer the investigation on broad
lines, and avoid the common and fatal mistake of
following one theory alone to the exclusion of others,
and then trying to fit others in with it later on. It is
most difficult to persuade the ordinary fhanadar that
no harm will be done to the case if he writes down
ii dozen theories of how a crime might have occur-
red, and moreover proceeds to follow up every one
of them. The fatal error is to adopt a fixed theory
from the start : it may very likely turn out to be
wrong, and any attempt to dovetail the old with
the new and correct story is bound to end in disaster.
The investigating officer has to su limit a daily report
of his enquiry, which is called the zimni, and
it is almost impossible to convince him that no
harm will be done to the case hy his writing down
more than one theory so long as he does not definitely
commit himself.

It is noticeable that convictions for murder
have increased considerably of late years. One of the
greatest contributory causes to this has undoubtedly
been what is known as the naiiviihammal, or in-
complete, cluilan. The title is a misnomer, for the
procedure is really to send the accused for trial at
once with all available evidence. Subsequent evidence
is put up before the Court by subsidiary chalan. This
means in practice that an accused may be and
often is pr(;duced in Court within a few hours of
arrest, when all available evidence is recorded includ-

;ing the statement of the accused. This latter very
• often includes a full admission of guilt. The system
is in strict accordance with the practice in England,
and has many advantages. It is a decided preven-
tive of malpractices, it ensures the evidence being
fresh and as far as possible untainted, and it achieves
the o-reat end of savintr time and trouble to witnesses
and Court alike, for it avoids the recording of con-
fessions as well as statements of witnesses under sec-
tion 16-i, Criminal Procedure Code. Provided the
accused has been arrested, the system is of special value
.in murder cases, and it is in strict accordance with the
law of Criminal Procedure.

" Section 173, C. P. C, provides in regard to inves-
itigation that the accused must be sent for trial " as
soon it is completed." It has been held that the
meaning of these words is " to prohibit delay" and
it is not intended to prescribe that no report shall
ireach the Magistrate until it is in an absolutely
complete state." The words do not mean that a
police officer must not send up an incomplete chalan,
•and I think that in many cases he sliould do so.
The rulings under 164, (e.g., 6 Madras 63; 27 Cal-
cutta 295) support this view. I also agree that
it is most strongly supported by the explanation to
section 344, C. P. C. " (Legal Remembranser's opinion
•dated 28th February 1910). I have known a murder
case actually committed to Sessions within 48 hours
■of the occurrence. In another case the murderer had
been sent for trial and the greater part of the evi-
<ience recorded several days before the we ipon used
to commit the crime had been discovered. On appeal
to the Chief Court counsel for the defence tried to
make capital out of this but the Court held that the
procedure was in order in the folbwing autaorit.itive

76

pronouucemeut. Referring to two points i-aised by
counsel for the defence the Court .said, " The first
is that his client has been prejudiced by tlie naniukam-
'filial chalaii system adopted in this case. It seems
the police sent up the two accused witli certain
evidence, continued investigation and then produced
further evidence later. We see nothing suspicious
i'l this ; it is the usual practice in England, and we
cannot see that it <)})ens the door to any sort of
dishonest proceedings on the part of the police "
( Crown V. Fazal, Case No. 589 of 1 9 1 4 ). There is thus •
110 question as regards the legality of the system.-
'.vhich also results in a general speeling up of
ti-iminal trials, with the consequent increased
deterrent on the potential law-breaker; this alone
would fully justif_y the procedure, but as I have
already explained there are many other points of
supreme importance. Quite recently a Chief Court
Judge remarked tliat the namukammal chalan was
the most important innovation of recent times for
dealing successfully with the criminal.

So we find our officer on the spot getting through
a good deal of work. He may also discover valu-
able clues which have been overlooked by the
Sub-Inspector.

The primary point to be noted about most in-
vestigations is that both complainants and local
police usually lay themselves out to secure oral
evidence, and do not exercise sufficient intelligence
aud thought in the search for documentary evidence
although this latter is far more convincing and
valuable in Court and will often decide a judge to
believe the oral evidence. First of all it is of su-
preme importance to examine the scene of the crime
with minute care. A magnifying glass, a tape

77

measure, with pencil and paper are the only outfit
required. It is said that every criminal leaves some
damning clue behind: it is for the detective to dis-
cover it. For this purpose the scene as noticed at
first should be minutol}' described, and anything-
and everything reduced to writing- even though it
may seem to have no bearing on the case. A great
deal can be deduced from a careful examination of
the scene of an offence, and the Investigating Officer
should try and picture to himself the whole story of
the crime as it occurred. To fix the time of the
occurrence is of first importance, but this is often for-
gotten. Pertinent questions in this behalf are : —
Was the body still warm when found ? What
was the state of preservation ■ Had rigor i)icrti-<
set in ? Did blood stains or footpiints seem fresh,
etc., etc., :' There are n)any indications which varv
with each ease.

Bodies of murdered persons cannot be too care-
fully examined. I remember a case where valuable
time was lost and a faulty theory of murder set up
through failure to examine completely the body of
a murdered woman. An important injury escaped
notice and the police were afterwards censured.
The hands and fingernails of the deceased should also
be carefully examined, the deceased may have
.scratched the murderer in the death struggle, and
bits of skin might be undei- the fingernails. Cor-
responding scratches on a suspect would go badly
against him. Again, the murderer's hair or clothes
may have been torn and portions retained in the
■ deceased's hands. These signs would also show
whether death was instantaneous or not.

In the same way a murderer's hands, hair, beard,
toe-nails and feet should be examined, and where

78

much blood has been shed the finger and toe-nails-
bhould be carefully scraped or washed out into a small
vessel, and the contents sent for chemical analysis.
There was a case in the Ferozepore district where
this was done more than a week after the murder
and yet the blood was definitely found on analysis.
It was a considerable factor in the conviction -of
the accused on purely circumstantial evidence. It
is also interesting to note that this man confessed:
before he was executed.

It should not be forgotten that a murderer's
shoes may bear traces of blood which he has not
thought of removing. He may have walked in the
blood or it may have dropped on the " uppers." Again, ,
where a murderer has cleaned his weapon he has
forgotten that blOod might lie in a crack of the handle
or where the handle joins the blade. It is therefore
wise to ask that blade and handle I>e separated'
before analysis

As regards blood stains it should be remembered
that they may be of various colours, due to the
action of the sun, washing, etc. Even after washing,
analysis can detect blood or the colouring matter of
blood. It is therefore advisable to send any suspicious -
stains for analj-sis, especial I}" now that India has an
Imperial serologist who can pronounce on the ques-
tion of human blood. Where blood has been shed,
careful search sh(nild be made in every conceivable
place for bloody finger impressions. It is useful
to remember that a niurderer would naturaily wipe
his fingers on the under side of any article such as a
table or chair. The remarkable I'esults of dusting a
fine powder over any likely places for finger marks
does not seem to be known though the finger print
manuals describe it, and all flianas are supplied with.

79

the powder. This is of two coloui's, black and ^vey^
for use according to the colour of the article to be
tested. The fine powder sticks to the greasy ridore»
left on contact by hand or foot, the impression is made
clear to the naked eye and can be easily photographed
for comparison with that of the suspected person.
No investigating officer should proceed to the scene of a
crime without a supply of these two powders. Broken
boxes or padlocks, etc., should invariably be tested
for finger impressions by this means, and any
articles which give results should be most ctirefully
packed so as not to be exposed to any friction and
sent oflf to the Bureau without delay. Some
remarkable results have been obtained by the proce.ss.
It is worth remembering that an}^ part of the sole of
the foot or palm of the hand can be compared and
identified by the experts at the Phillaur Bureau,
which is believed to be the largest in the world
containing as it does the finger impressions of 2,51,000
persons. These are so carefully and methodically
classified that when a " search slip " is received the
Bureau can usually state within an average of not
more than thiry minutes whether that person's
finger impressions are already on record or not.

Whenever a body has not been identified the
finger impressions should be taken whether foul
play is suspected or not, for this is the safest and
most certain form of identification which is known
to detective science. There are now countless ex-
amples to prove the value of the fingei-print system.
I will quote one recent case within my own
experience as it is interesting in other ways also.
The naked body of a man was found floating in a
pond about a quarter of a mile from Police Station
Choa Saidan Shah in theJhelum distiict. A most

so

careful secirch gave no clue whatever to his iden-
tity, so when the body was sent for post mortem
examination a request was made that the tips of the
fingers should be amputated and sent to the Bureau,
where a careful set of impressions was made. It
happened that late on the night of the murder a
constable called at the thana for a drink of water.
He was invited to stay the night but refused saying
he was going on shoi't leave and as he had fallen in
with a party wliich was travelling to his own village
(Dab, the home of the first Indian V. C.) he did not
wish to waste time. This constable was accordingly
summoned, and asked to say what he knew. His
friends were then discovered and they were a}>le
to throw a good deal of light on the case. They
had been coming home from their land in the
Jhehnr. Colony, and described how on arrival at
Bhalwal Railway Station they had seen a man and
A woman having a violent (|uarrel. The man
described the woman as his wife who had run away
from his home in Chakwal Tehsil with another
man (who was also present), and remarked that she
refused to return to him. However the party
travelled along together and the husband quietly
informed one of his companions later on that he
had soothed his wife down by allowing her
lover to come along too, and explained that he had
already tiled a case, and would run the gentleman
in as soon as he had got his wife safely home.
They all got out at the same station, and the
trio started ahead, but were overtaken loitering
near the pond ; the woman said she was very tired
and the other party pas.sed on. This information
coupled with other results of the enquiry soon
located the erring couple, who were so surprised
that they both confessed their crime immediately.

81

The wife admitted that she and her lov^er had
seized the opportunity to strangle her husband
and throw his body into the pond. However, as
the body had not been definitely identified at the
time there would have been a serious hiatus in
the cliain ol: evidence. It was here that t)ie
fingerprints came in as invaluable. The complaint
filed by the husband bore the impression of his left
thumb, and the Bureau experts declared that
this was identical wntli that of the murdered man.
This sealed the doom of the accused both of whom
were eventually hanged.

In i^oisouing cases it is a wise plan to test the ac-
• cuseds clothes, w^hen a poison like arsenic is suspected.
This poison is generally sold in a form which renders
pounding and sifting necessary before it can be
administered. The end of a muslin xafa is an excellent
sieve, and the remains of the arsenic might naturally
be put in a pocket or tied up in the end of a chadr
or turban. It is therefore advisable to have such
garments tested by chemical anal3^sis as the following-
case will show. The deceased, a man of some local
importance, was entangled in a feud of long standing.
He was £ confirmed drunkard, and that was his
ultimate undoing. One of his enemies, passing the
village liquor shop one morning, saw our friend half
«eas over. He ran home and hurriedly pounded up
some arsenic which he had previously procured for
the purpose, and coming back to the liquor shop
he got his opportunity of giving the fatal dose. It
would seem that the murderer must have sifted the
poison through one end of his turban and temporarily
put the balance in a waistcoat pocket, for chemical
analys's of these two garments revealed the presence
of white arsenic in these two places. It was largely

82

■on this evidence that the jicciisod was hanged : he
confessed before execution.

Burglary, while it is the cumuionest (jf crimes,
is the one which most often remains undetected.
The difficulties are no doubt great, but there is one
common omission which is fatal tc success. A burglary
is usually planned with some care, and there is
generally a local ajjent who sliows the way. As the
proverb puts it chori yari chakri hajh ivasila im ho, .
wliich might be freely translated, " one cannot steal,
make love, or get a good job without an introduction."
If the police would try and hiy hands on this go-
between who is so familiar with the complainant's
house, we might see gi-cater success in the working
of burglaries.

Detection is undoubtedly most difficult never-
theless, and it is safer to rely upon prevention rather
than detection iip handling the question oi burglary.
Section 109 (Vagrancy) of the Criminal Procedure
Code is the highway to success. Whether it be
town or village, suspicious strangers who cannot
satisfactorily account for their presence should be
ruthlessly prosecuted. If every headman did his
duty in this respect the decrease in burglarv would
be astounding. Likewise strangers should be stopped
and questioned who are seen passing by villages in
the early hours of the morning with bundles on
their heads. I always give double rewards to those
who achieve success in cases of this nature. Preven-
tion should be regarded as better than detection.
The thikri pahra system is of great assistance in
this connection. It is indigenous to the country and
can be worked with great effect. Tliikri means a
" potsherd," and pahra means " watch." The idea is
that the name of every male member of the village

83

should be written on potsherds, all of which are-
placed in a large earthen vessel. These are drawn
out by lot, and each man goes on watch for one
night in rotation as his name is drawn. In this
way the entire village shares the burden of w^atch
and ward under the direction of the lamhardars. The
system had been in abeyance for j^ears, but has been
revived of late with such great success that a Bill
has been passed legalising the procedure. The work
of the police in this connection is chiefly to send
out night patrols in order to see that each village-
is doing its duty. Many criminals are captured by
this means, while the deten-ent effect on the burglar-
is simply enormous.

I must nob omit here a good .story which hap-
pened in Jhelum before the .system had properly got
under weigh. When the two sentries for a certain
village had been posted for duty one night one of
them decided to go home to bed, and arranged that
his companion should warn him if thei-e was any
danger of being found out. As luck would have
it a patrolling constable turned up later on in the
night, and asked to sec sent}' number two. The
man on duty said he had gone to patrol the other side of
the village, and was told to fetch him and call the lam-
bardar also. The defaulter was called by his friend
and appeared loudly protesting his zeal in patrolling
the village. He might have imposed on the credulity
of his hearers had not the lambardar's lantern, revealed
the fact that our brave was wearing his wife's
pantaloons ' His hasty toilet in the dark gave him
away entirely, but the story went the round of
the country-side and was incidentally of great
assistance in stimulating genuine compliance with the
thihri pa/ira regulations.

^'4

One of the greatest Punjab policemen broke up
^11 his gangs on the approver system, and, as Indian
conditions are at present constituted, there seems to
be no more effective method. This system is worked
where one of a gang is caught, and on a promise of
pardon gixes away the whole organisation. The start
of such cases is apt to be tickhsh, and merits a word
of caution. We will suppose that one of your
Sub-Inspectors produces a man in handcuffs before
you, and the man states that he is willing to give valu-
able information of his gang if he is granted a
pardon. What should you do ? It is a question of
buying and sidling, and how are you to offer a
pardon and let off an admitted criminal unless you
know Avhat advantage you are reaping ? On the
other hand, if the man gives his statement first, and
you decide it is not good enough, what then ? It
is obviously not "cricket" to use it. In view of the
difficulty the following may therefore be instructive.
Our burglar was an old hand, but had been very neatly
caught out : he decided to purchase his release by
splitting on his pals, and was produced before me with
the somewhat vague promise that he would work
out a large number of cases and recover the property,
etc., if he were granted a pardon. We at length
agreed that he should record his statement, one copy
only, and if I thought it good enough, I would apply
to the Local Government for a promise not to prose-
cute him, othei-wise I would tear up the statement
in his presence. The statement was recorded and I
decided that it was not good enough, and was about
to tear it up wlien our friend's memory started to
improve ! The fact is that criminals who confess to
offences long past are naturally reluctant at first to
give themselves away, for they have not acquired
confidence at this stage that promises will be

85

fiiltilled. lu the present case both this man, and
subsequently another of the gang^, were e\entually
pardoned, over 100 burghiries and kindred offencea
were worked out, and three te/isils were practically
freed of burglary for a long period. The statements
of this kind of approver make \ ery interesting read-
ing, and provide at times most amazing side-lights
on what really goes on. The stories told by the
approver in the above case were often niost amusing.
He related how on one occasion the village cliauki-
dar acted as guide to the gang, the sntferer being the
chaitkidars aunt, an old lady of some substance.
The morning after the burglary the chankichir was
most prominent in the interests of the complainant
and was very full of sympathy. Tlie old lady
through her tears re-assured him in an aside that
her best gold ornaments had fortunately escaped
the attention of the burglars. Presumably she did
not notice his actual disgust at the news, but one
can picture her feelings if she could have heard her
dutiful nephew roundly abusing the burglars as
stuj)id fools when he went to the rendezvous to
receive his share of the loot ! There was another
member of the gang, most of whose takings went to
a lady of doubtful virtue. Later on the couple
quarrelled, and when the man demanded back the
jeweller}'^ the lady put him into Court, and got a
decree on the question, well knowing the source of
the goods, and that her burglar lover would never
dare to oflfer any evidence, true or talse!

Many amusing cases come one's way from time
to time. For instance, the incident of the bur-
glar who was just crawling through the hole in the
wall with his loot, when the wall fell in and one
beam pinned him safely down till the villagers.

' collected and tied Jiiin hand and foot as he lay there
while they fetched the police, is worth remembering
on a dull liot day. Then the zaildar, who collected
various sums from shopkeepers in his circle on a
threat of raising- their income tax, took half himself
and paid the rest in as his contribution to the Imperial
Indian Relief Fund, showed the true oriental touch in
•converting to his own use a novel situation created
by the Great War. Needless to say he realised
long before he did it tliat the income tax bogie
•sealed the lips of the defrauded and disgusted
banias in very effectual fashion.

Again, here is a tale with a moral which no
one would believe for a moment if they read it
in a novel. The hero was a shopkeeper of the Arora
caste. He murdered his young brother in order
to become sole inheritor of his father's property.
He was acquitted in Sessions. Later, his own father
prosecuted him tearing an attempt on his own
life, and on liis death left all his property to his
wife. The latter intended bequeathing the property
to her daughters, but our hero was too quick. He
undoubtedly got his own mother murdered, but
it could not be proved judicially. He then seems
to have thought it best to move from that vil-
lage. Having now amassed a good deal of money
he was about half way through with the erection
•of a huge house when he suddenly committed suicide !
The cause was discovered later. It was Nemesis
in the form of his own young sons turning out
to be thieves like himself, robbing the till, and then
in their turn reporting him to the police for trying
to murder one of them. It is a striking story, and
the dramatic end created some stir in the neigh-
bourhood. Even this however was eclipsed for within

87

another year the elder of the two boys died from
drink at the age of twelve ' I shall follow the career
of the other boy with interest. At present he is
under the guardianship of his most evil relations, and
■one wonders if he will live long in the inheritance
of his father's ill-gotten gains.

Turning to another branch of investigation we
come to the amazing work done by trackers. Most
Punjab policemen can spin well-nigh incredible yarns
of ^\ hat thej^ have seen trackers accomplish. A
really good tracker will remember the footprints
of man or animal long after he has first seen them,
but, in order to make his evidence of real value in
Court, the following procedure is advisable when
the point at issue is the mere identification of
tracks. Suppose we have to compare the footprints
found on the spot with those of the suspects in a
murder case. Special precautions must be taken,
and noted do vpn fully in the diary, to prevent all
possibility of the tracker seeing the suspect's foot-
prints beforehand. He should first be allowed to
exam hie the footprints on the spot, and should
then be removed out of sight and hearing, preferably
to a house in the village. A suitable piece of ground
should then be swept clean by dragging a wide
cloth over it weighted with earth. Over this clear
space the suspect should be asked to walk, seven or
eight others being made to walk in parallel lines
with him. The tracker should then be summoned,
and if he is able to point out the suspect's foot-
prints as being identical with those at the scene
•of the crime, evidence of real value will have been
secured to place before the Comrt. I have seen
evidence of this nature lost by simply showing the
-tracker the footprints on the spot and then tliose

88

-of tlio suspect and putting him into Court to certify
that they corresponded. It can be readily seen that
110 Court can accept such testimony.

One could relate many interestint; tracking-
stories, but they are too lengthy and Uiight also
be classed as fairy-tales. I will (juote one simple
case however, just to show the value of tracking.
A burglar}' had oceurr-ed in tin- centre of a fairly large
\ illage in the Jhang District, and naturally the
ground was too hard for any tracks to be seen. The
two trackers were however undaunted. Tliey work-
ed away from the village in larger and larger con-
centric circles till they came on a spot where we saw
;> few dead matches, some bits of cotton thread and
grains of wheat, etc. It was the place wliere the
burglars had divided up the " s.vag, "and being in
soft ground the footprints were clear. From this
point three burglars were followed to their village.
It was entirely due to the sagacity and skill of thfr
two trackers that the case was worked to success.

The calling seems to sharpen the faculty of
deduction as the following instance will show. The
case was one of burglary in which the owner of the
house had been killed. An expert tracker, who
had been called in, staggered the investigating officer
by the remarkable statement that three men had
committed the crime, one of whom was a very big
man and a coward ! When asked to explain he
pointed out the three sets of foot-prints leading from
the scene of the offence, and showed that one man
from the size and depth of the impressions was
undoubtedly tall and heavy. But why was he a
coward ? The explanation was quite convincing.
It was clearly shown by the foot-prints that h&

2r9

kept a little distance away from his companions
all the time, and away fiom the point of dauger
namely, the villat^e. The position of the tracks
also proved to the tracker that this man kept turu-
ino- half round on his toes to see if the}' were being-
pmsued, while his companions were not similarly
affected. The offenders were uevei traced, hut 1
have little doubt that if they had been the above
description would have turned out to be accurate.
Tlie value of such evidence in a court of law
can be readily imagined. T remember another
famous tracker telling me that two of twelve
tracks in a big burglary were those of brothers.
The case was worked to a successful conclusion
many weeks afterwards, and true enough two of
the accused were brothers, tut the man never told
me how he knew it. He used to say that he recog-
nised or remembered footprints by the lines of the
feet made in the dust. This man could readily
recognize footprints : when called in to a case he would
sometimes declare that the tracks corresponded to
those in another case, which might have occurred
many months previously.

The best trackers I have met are the Bawriahs
of the Central Punjab, a criminal tribe which how-
ever lives large y by huntnig. The game, be it bird,
hare, or deer, is mostly found b}' following up its
footprints, and this is what provides the training.
Bawriahs also make excellent beaters and it is worth
your while to watch them tracking down a wounded
partridge by its footprints!

Other fine trackers are found among the
aborigines where the splendid Canal Colonies now
exist. The art is probably dj'ing out, but in the old
davs the village boys grazed the herds over these

90

hutre expanses of desert px^ and wlieu an animal
strayed it was found by followin*; up the tracks.
Needless to say every herdsman knew liis animals
botli by appearance and by footprint.

The term " Criminal Tribe " deserves some ex-
planation. It refers to various tribes found all over
India, who are criminal by heredity and instinct,
And whose means of subsistence is largely crime.
Some tribes are gypsies, but the majority are not
jiomadic. Under Act III of 1911, the male adult mem-
bers are carefully registered, and it is made a pena
•oftence for a registered member to leave the bound-
aries of his village without leave except under certain
•conditions. Wandering tribes have also been recently
registered in the Punjab, and contined to the bound-
aries of the police thana in which they are regis-
tered. A splendid work is being done by the Salva-
tion Army in the reformation of Criminal Tribes.

No note on crime in the Punjab would
be complete without a reference to cattle-theft.
The subject is so vast that a large tome would
be required to deal with it in adequate fashion :
and the whole question has recently been tackled by
far abler hands than mine, so I will confine myself to
a few general remarks. The ra-mitications of what
-one might call the national sport of the Punjabi
a.re simply amazing, and it is to be hoped that some
day Government will allow a selected officer to spend
a number of years specialising on the treatment of
cattle-theft. The chief difficultv is that the people
do not look upon it as crime. There are moreover
Ttiany tribes who do not regard a youth as grown up
till he has successfully stolen his lii-st head : and he
is not permitted to wear a pufjri till he has so to
speak proved himself a worthy member of the

91

community. The nett result o£ it all is that thousands
of buffaloes, bullocks, cows, camels and even horses
are stolen exer}' year, and only a small fraction are
recovered. Very few thefts are even reported to the
police : the owners prefer to track down the thieves by
their own methods, and to recover their property on
payment of blackmail (bhunga), if the\' are fortunate
enouojh to be successful in tracing" the missing
animals. The actual thief is generally a poor man
working under the big trader or rassagir. The
latter i.-. well known thi-oughout the country-
side, and it is often easy enough to come to terms
with him. A report to the police generally means
dead loss, for no thief will then dare to restore
the animals, whereas payment ot sa\' one-third of
the value of the beast results in its immediate return.
If it is not claimed, the rassmjir may pass it on
from agent to agent for several imndred miles, and
receive an animal of equal value passed back to Inm
in return. Thus a camel may pass from Hissar to
Peshawar and a milch buffalo be sent in exchange.
The animals pass on from agent to agent and the
police are powerless. The recognised routes by
which the animals pass are known as r<issa<^, and
one of our officers prepared a map of the province
showing the principal highways. The trade is so
prosperous that it is at present impossible to stop it :
in Karnal a few years ago, a series of brilliant opera-
tions of an enthusiastic Superintendent practically
closed down the business for a time, but it is .said
now to be as persistent as ever.

Various remedies, such as branding all cattle,
special patrolling, etc., have been suggested, and
they undoubtedly have much preventive effect, but
aintil tfie ideas of the people undergo drastic chance

9^

no permanent cure can be effected. In the .summer
the great rivers are largely u.sed for conveying the
cattle away. Gang.s of cattle thieves come up
stream, perhaps 50 to 100 miles or more, mark
down the grazing grounds and cattle .sheds, and
when the booty is secured it is floated down the
flooded river, the thief hanging on to the tail and
floating on an inflated goat-skiu or sarnai. As
the river flows at an average of 7 or 8 miles an
hour the means of escape is swift and sure, while
it leaves no trace whatever. Often it is some days
before the owner is certain of his lo.ss, for the cattle
in riverain tiacts are turned out to graze for days
on end over large aieas of swampy country where it
is too much labour to collect them every day. A
system of boat patrols ha.s been tried in some
districts with marked success, and the preventive
effect is enormou>, while many thousands of rupees'
worth of property have been recovered. The .system
should be widely extended with motor boats carry-
ing searchlights : they would save much more than
their cost and the peasantry could be readily in-
duced to subscribe to their maintenance if necessary.
As .soon as an animal is stolen the owner makes for
the nearest tracker, his best friend on such occasions.
If the thief is a local man the tracker can
often recogni.se the footprints at sight, but in any
case he is able to follow up the tracks at great
.speed. He sometimes overtakes the thief, and in
any case the owner knows in which direction to make
his search. Travellers or villagers are met, who
have passed the thief, and thus the exciting chase
continues. I have known a bullock to be recovered
in this way after a journey of over 50 miles, and
this is no record. Your good tracker will lead you
to a river, and after fording it he will pick up the

93

tracks in the sand on the other side and soon be hot
on the trail attain. But his work must be seen to
be believed, so I will say no more.

The ideal preventive of cattle theft is to be found
in the co-operation of the people. Imagine a district
where every villager was keen to stop and question
the stranger whom he saw passing by, driving cattle
or riding a horse without a saddle : the villager is an
expert in cross-examination of this nature, and would
soon discover if the animals were stolen. A journey to
the nearest thana would establish so strong a case
that acquittal would be out of the (juestion. This is
the unattaiued ideal, but an approach can be made
by persistent effort in preaching the doctrine and
liberally rewarding the few who act up to it. I
recommend the sj'stem as a practical method of

• catching cattle thieves and other criminals. The
last example I had of its value was the arrest of
a thief with 6 donkeys within 10 days of the delivery
of the sermon. The captor had been one of the
audience, and the captured man was found to have
three previous convictions for theft. I only wish
the meagreness of the reward fund had cot pre-
vented me from rewarding this man as fully as
he deserved. In the absence of public opinion and
the civic spirit. Government must pay for work of
this kind, and pay very liberally, if others are to be

• encouraged to follow the good example. To be
successful the preaching of this doctrine must be
personally done by the Superintendent ; the best
time is during cold weather tours at the daily

• durbars described in Chapter XII.

A brief note must be made on one point connect-

• ed with the question of confessions. It not infrequ-
ently happens that two or more co-accused confess'

94

to a crime, mikI ofler to point out stolen property,,
the murdered boily, blood-stained clothes, weapons,,
etc. A common fault is to allow both accused to go
together and point out the spot in (question. This
course is destructive to the evidence which is nulli-
fied as regards both accused. First one suspect should
be allowed to point out the place in the presence of
witnesses, while tlie other is safely shut away
from sight and sound. After he and the rest of the
party have been entirely withdrawn, suspect number
two should be paraded in similar fashion. Evidence
would then be available which should convince any
Court that both accused were guilty.

Another hint about investigation : wlien you
go to the scene of a crime, sit alone in a secluded
place, call up each witness separately and hear what
he has to tell you yourself. By this method you
are more likely to spot faked evidence, and your
enquiry will afford more satisfaction in every way.

And remember that the ordinary villager is a very
shy individual when suddenly confronted b}^ a
European officer. His natural bent is to deny
all knowledge of the case, for he has often heard
of the trouble and inconvenience to which witnesses
are put. It is therefore necessary to win his
confidence, so it is as well not to start oft' with
blunt questions regarding tlie case. For one thing
he is ver}' liable to imagine that the European
cannot speak liis lingo, and he will often reply
to the first question by saying, he doesn't
understand English '. Tliis is a blow to one's
vanity and is apt to make mo.st people angry at
a time when infinite tact and patience are necessary
if evidence is to be coaxed out of the Punjabi
villager. If he is too glib and ready ; lie is probably

95

a false witness ! In any case it is as well to
begin with a few o-eneral questions on matters
unconnected with the enquiry in hand, and then
lead up to the real business of the day. One
wonders whether the Courts realise the difficulties
of collecting- evidence : it all looks so simple and
easy when written down and i educed to order. The
art of investicration is one of infinite labour : the
lajanan with Sherlock Holmes at his elbow often
imagines it to be a kind of magic, but, as one
of our finest and most successful investigating officers
once told me, it is nothing more than hard work, and
an infinite capacity for taking pains and going into
every minute detail. Here and there a stroke of
luck or a leap in the dark will bring success, but in
the vast majority of big cases success is only to be
achieved by hard work followed out on methodical
and practical lines.

Sometimes a doubt arises as to the section of
the Code under which an accused should be sen for
trial. In that event it is safer to charge him with
the more serious offence and leave the Court to decide.
Similarly, when in doubt as to whether a case is
strong enough to send for trial, leave it to the Courts.
The real duty of the police is to collect evidence, it
is for the Courts to weigh it.

96

REW\RDS

Encouragement of the public to help in police
work and suitably rewarding such work when given
•are among the most important duties of the Super-
intendent: I am not sure that they are not the
most important. It is certainly the most interesting
work. Your local Sub-Inspector complains that the
people do not help, and judging by results alone you
see that this is true enough. The cause is almost
certainly that good work in the past has not been
suitably recognised, and that the police have been
claiming the credit for e\erything of value that has
been done. The following method has never yet
failed to reverse the above state of things. It starts
with a harangue of the local notables, who are urged
to help and promised liberal rewards for so doing.
As soon as a good piece of work is reported an order
is issued from Headquarters that this man is to be in-
formed that his action has been brought to notice,
and that it will be rewarded at the conclusion of
the case. When the case is decided as liberal a reward
as possible is granted, and the copy of the Order
Book on the prescribed printed form is sent to the
local Sub-Inspector who makes it over at once to the
recipient. The actual reward is as a rule held up if
possible till near the close of the financial year, when
it is presented with the rest at a durbar held in
connection with the most popular and central fair in
the district. Unless the recipient is a menial the
reward hardly ever takes the form of cash. A gun,
revolver, saddle, watch, shawl, lungi, etc., is a far
more precious possession than its equivalent in cash

97

and the aljove method ot" presentation is known to
enhance its value still further while it encouraj^es
others to follow a good example. It is fascinating to
work up a district in this wa\- and to see crime
'de(-reas:injj' as the rewards and the assistance increase.
One can always be on the lookout for novel forms ot
reward. These should invariably be accompanied by
one of the certificates prescribed by the Police Rules,
which are themselves highly prized. The cash
rewards and ■sa7i«r/.'^ earned by the police are also best
presented at this annual durbar, and it is eas}' to
arrange that those who have earned rewards should
be the men primarily selected for duty at the fair.

It is argued that Government should be more
liberal in providing funds for rewards. The scale is
far too low, and seems to have been fixed too
long ago. Events of late years have proved very
conclusively how much the peace of the country
depends ou successful police administration, and that
detection (jf crime has a great eftect politically as
M'ell. In connection with decrease in crime there
seems to be no recognition of the fact that decrease
means a great saving of Government money. The or-
dinary murdei", for instance, costs several hundred
rupees in actual out of pocket expenses. With
the reduction of murders there is a corresponding
saving, and it seems onh' fair that a proportion
of this should be spent on rewards to those
who assist in producing that i-esult. But the
rewaids are infinitesimal in comparison with the
money saved by reduction in crime. Latterly
however the signs have been more hopeful, and
there seems to be some prospect that the
importance of the question will be increasingly
recognised. A sound system of reward is a first

98

step to enlisting- the ooodwill und co-operation of
the community. This in turn helps to create that
sound public opinion which is so ardently desired
in India, and which alone can stamp out the
corruption amonost subordinates which is at present
a blot on British administration.

To determine what rewards should be ^Jiunted
should invariably be the personal dut}^ of the Super-
intendent, who must insist that the work of all who
help is brought to notice. It is by no means uncom-
mon for a village menial to lay the train leading to
the discovery of the most important case. Sometimes
he passes on the information to his master, who
tells the la^nhardar, the latter eventually com-
municating it to the investigating officer, and thus
success is finally achieved. It is only fair that the
claims of all these people should be considered and
recognised. The names of informers are often best
kept out of files, but they should be rewarded just
the same.

The above is an outline of a reward system
which has been proved to paj' a handsome return.
It is no doubt capable of many additions and
improvements to .suit local conditions.

99

XI
NOTE ON MURDER.

In the Punjab the question of dealing adequately
with murder is very serious. There is a shortage of
women in the population, 817 to every 1000 males, and
this in the main cause of the very large number of
cases which occur each year. Until the proportion
between the sexes equalises itself murders will con-
tinue amongst the virile and manly Punjabis, but in
the meantime there is one great preventive and that
is conviction of the eases which do occur. The
seriousness of the situation may be gauged from the
following figures giving the total of admitted cases
during the quinquennium 1912-1916 and the number
of convictions : —

Cases
Admitted.

Cases
Convicted.

Per

centage.

1912

516

189

;u;

1913 ..

625

28S

46

19U ..

538

242

45

1915 ..

512

201

.]{)

1916 ..

...

524

238

45

Total

2,715

1,158

42

No one could view the above state of affairs-
without serious reflection and some alarm. Much
has been written on the subject in annual reports,
reviews and the like, and many remedies have been

io

suo^gested, but so far llic problem has not been
satisfactorily solved. If convictions were higher
murders would decrease, in fact the one is in inverse
ratio to the other.

I must add that this axiom is not admitted by
many officers, who hold that murder, is a kind of
disease, which breaks out on no system and from
no assignable cause. I admit that in certain crimef^
passionellcs, where a man feels that his izzat is
disgraced or deep jealousy is aroused, there is probably
no preventive of murder but I trust that the
figures below will induce a belief in the general
truth of my assertion. If it is not admitted that
convictions are a preventive, I think most people
will agree that acquittals directly conduce to an
increase in murders especially in cases where there
is a vendetta, or a dispute of long standing.

So anything which will conduce to punishment
of the guilty is worthy of earnest consideration.
It will be necessary, therefore, to go into the
murder question in some detail. The subject
is so vast that it is difficult to know where to
begin. The motives for murder are endless, the
reasons arc equally complex, but there is one general
bedrock foundation to a great majority of cases,
namely, relationship between the sexes. It is safe,
therefore, to start every nnu'der enquiry with cher-
chez la femtne. As most murders occur in villages
where every man has the most intimate knowledge
of his neighbours' business, this should not be difficult.
But this note need not concern itself further with
the large question of causes for murder, but rather
with successful detection. The motive for every case
<;an, as a rule, be discovered easily enough. Why
is it, then, that so many cases fail, and that at least

101

1,557 murderers, and most probably quite double that
number, have in the five years under consideration
escaped the consequences of their criu)es i The
causes could not be otherwise than manifold, and I
will attempt to give a few of the more important
together with some suggestions for their ameliora-
tion.

At the risk of being accused of partiality 1 will
start with a defence of the Police. Suppose we take
for example a thoroughly corrupt Sub-Inspector who
has been summoned to the scene of a murder. He
knows that a Gazetted Officer as well as others of
his seniors, quite possibly including a Magistrate, will
soon arrive in his wake : he knows that his every
action and ever}' word that he writes will be the
subject of the very closest scrutin\-, it mav \k' rioht
up to the highest Court in the Proviucf. A weak
or badly-prepared case is almost certain to redect
on him adversely, and there is very real danger that
the taking of a bribe may end his career. He wdll
also reflect that there are many other safer ways of
making money. Is it worth wdiile running the risk ?
In the majority of cases nowadays the Sub-Inspector
wijl decide that it is more prudent to keep straight
in this case and moreover earn a reputation for
honesty and capability which will stand him in good
stead later on. The point of this example is to show
that the police do not usually spoil murder cases for
money, so we may look further in searching out the
causes for failure. I venture to think that the main
cause of breakdown is to be found before the police
arrive at the spot, and even before the reporting
party stai-t for the thana, and that a large majority
of murder enquiries are made good or marred within
the first few hours after commission of the crime.

102

If the heirs of the deceased were content with the
• lex falionis all would be well enough, but there is
an ahnost universal desire on the part of the Punjabi
complainant to accuse anyone and everyone against
whom he has a grudge. The evil of this is very soon
apparent. A has been murdered by B and C : his
relatives have possibly seen the act committed, or
perhaps someone else was passing and has reliable
■evidence to give. But this will not suit the relations:
they desire to bring two or three more of the
murderer's family to the gallows, so we find that the
names of D and E are also given in the first report
at the thana. Either or both are able to prove their
innocence in Court with the result that the entire
evidence is vitiated, and all the accused are eventually
acquitted. If the above premises ai'e correct, it is
clear that the case from the start had no chance of
success. This brings us to what I conceive to be
the most important element in achieving success,
namely honest co-operation on the part of the com-
plainant, and more especially just after the occurrence
of the crime. When the police find that cases fail
through false accusations it is time to get down to
the realities of things. The Chakwal tehsil of the
Jhelum district is one of the most notorious mutder
centres in the Punjab as the following table will
show : —

Cases

Cases

admitted.

convicted.

Per centge.

1912

;?2

5

15 6

1913

23

12

^'2-2

1914

22

16

7.-7

191.5

6

3

500

.1916

i

13

7

53-3

10;]

The failure to secure convictions was "'ery
largely due to the inveterate habit of false accusations,
complete evidence being not infrequently already
faked bsfore the case was reported at the thaaa.
There were long-standing feuds in many villages, and
lives were lost by each side in turn year after year.
In the year 1912 no less than 58 persons were
■chall'ined for murder while only 7 were convicted.
During 1913 three months were spent by the Super-
intendent of Police on tour in the ^cVts/Z, in the course
•of which practically every zaildar, lambardar, and
leading man was liarangued. The failure of the
indigenous sj^stem in securing convi'jitions was care-
fully explained, and its results were so glaring as to
■be really convincing. The following instructions were
then given. On the occurrence of a murder the
■ I'jbmhfirdars were immediately to make for the
■deceased's heirs and beg or persuade them to tell
the real facts. The houses of those who were accused
were to be closed and sealed without delay. If the
inmates were present they were to be detained and
se(fre;)ated from one another at once. If they were
not to be tound in their houses the latter were to be
locked and the facts noted in the first report. Another
point was that the report at the thana should be made
with the least possible delaj'-, but the initial factor to
success was persuasion ot the complainant to tell the
itruth and avoid padding of the case. Liberal rewards
were promised for compliance with the instructions.
The etiect of this was most encouraging, and con-
"tributed in no small measure to the improvement
which came about in the following 3'ears.

The Courts attach mucli importance to the first
a'eport at the thxna, and it is obvious that a report
made on the lines given above must be tf the m-eatest

104

value ill deciding oa the truth oF a case. On the
advice of the Sessions Judge, orders were also issued
that tlie first words used by tiie complainant in mak-
ing his report should be written down verlxitiin, after
which his statement would follow explaining points-
on which he was (questioned in order to make his
story clear. I wonder if tlu' difficulties of writing
up this initial report are fully realised by the Judges.
The complainant is excited and roused beyond
measure at the outrage and loss of his relative, he
7nay be incoherent from passion, and he is burning
for revenge. The police are aware that delay is
fatal, and the oflBcer in charge may well ti'enibJe at
the responsibility suddenly thrust upon him, and yet
he has to sit patiently to consider the report, to
get hold of the essential jwints and to omit nothing-
of importance. Failure to include everything will
be seized upon by the defence, and will carry the
greatest weight in Court. (One wonders how much^
the Judges who criticise would omit if they were in
the shoes of the police). The report has to be written
out in quadruplicate, after which follows the journey
to the spot, possibly a ride of 20 miles. Then for
perhaps 24 hours the investigating officer has no
rest whatever. The scene of the offend- has to be
examined with minute care, the inquest report
prepared, the body despatched for 2hM mortem ex-
amination sometimes 10 or 50 miles awa}-, and unwill-
ing coolies procured to carry it. Then follows the
preparation of the first case-diary or zinmi, a
very lengthy document, which should contain as
much of the evidence as possible. If evidence appears;
in the next diary which might have appeared in the
first, the Court can be trusted to view it with dis-
favour. And all this is expected to be done on the
day when the murder occurred. Truly an honest

105

policeman's lot is never less happy than on the first
day of a murder !

Once I happened to be present in a tJtana when
the complainant in a murder case appeared. His
conception of a report consisted of the words " The
Labanas have, murdered my uncle." Now Labana is
a tribe, and the actual offenders might be anyone in
that tribe. The police report had necessarily to be
a much more complete account of the affair, and yet
I have read judicial criticisms of these reports to the
effect that parts of them could not possibly have
emanated from the complainants. Of course not.
The story has to be collected piecemeal, jotted down
roughly, and then faired out in logical order before
it is finally written on the official form. It would
be impossible to write it out straight away, and every-
one knows the view that would be held of erasures
and the like in a first informatioo report. Con.sider-
ing the difficulties the standard of these reports is
extraordinarily high. It is worth mentioning tliat
the officer in charge is very often away on duty
when a report is made, an<l it has then to be pre-
pared by the thana c\er\\. It is not to be wondered
at, tlierefore, if the reports are not all as perfect as
they might be. The more cognisant the Coui-ts are
of the difficulties, the more sympathetic they will be
in their attitude towards the writers.

I have already remarked that the greatest
preventive of murder is conviction of the cases that
do occur. It is equally true that a great incentive
to the actual commission of a murder would be the
knowledge that there was a fair chance of escape
from tl)e consequences of the crime. It would, there-
fore be difficult to exaggerate the very important
tearing which acfiuittab- exercise on the murder

lOo

therinometei'. We have seen at page 4G wliat the
Punjab Government says on the subject, and the
Hgures in this note testify to the fact very clearly.
We saw in Chakwal a steady decrease piri 'passu
with an increase in convictions, culminating in the
remarkable figures for 1915. Of the three thanas
composing the tehsil one had a clean sheet, one report-
ed five cases and the third only one case. This last
case was convicted in Sessions and it was the second
time the accused had been tried for murder. He
was however accjuitted on appeal tov»'ards the end
of the year. Within five weeks of his acquittal
no less than three murders occurred in that tract
and the total for 1916 amounted to eight cases. The
following year witnessed no improvement ; an old
vendetta was moreover revived which had been
quiescent for some years, and resulted in two more
violent deaths, in neither of which was success achiev-
ed. It would appear that acquittals have an evil effect
on the people in another way also. They may be
ready to help the police, but when those persons
whom they have brought to book escape conviction
and return to burn their ricks, maim their cattle and
so on, the people are prone to wash their hands off" the
police. The mere giving of evidence, be it remem-
bered, creates enmity, not only between individuals,
but between whole families. It is not, therefore, a
matter for surprise that your independent witness
may hesitate to plunge into the vortex of possible
trouble entailed by the giving of one true statement.
All one can say is that he is more ready to come
forward if he believes that the accused will not
escape conviction.

In the western districts of the province and
probably elsewhere the profes.sional murderer {ujrati-
ildlnl) is not uncommon. Often he is a man who

107

has escaped the penalty of his first crime and in
the process has learnt the tricks of the trade and the
best ways of evading the law. He follows certain
definite lines which will lead to acquittal. I know
of one such in the Salt Range who is said to be
regularly consulted by intending murderers. He is
known as the " ustdd " (the master or professor • and
is, I understand, paid for his advice. There is
another of the same kidney living about 12 miles
away. I was told he was acquitted on appeal in his
first murder, he escaped again in my time, the case
being too weak to go even to Sessions. The crime
was committed with the greatest skill, and the
headman assured me it was the eleventh murder
standing to his account ! The truth of a murder is
generally known in a village and I have no doubt that
this account was correct. Tliis accurate knowledge of
real facts is a double-edged weapoii as I have explained
above ; it leads to conviction no doubt but it also
leads to perdition when a guilty man escapes. The
fact remains, a problem which faces the administration
at every turn, that murder is one of the easiest crimes
to trace and yet not one-half of those which occur in
the Punjab end in the conviction of the accused.

The following particulars of a remarkable case
were supplied to me by a brother otficer. They are
so typical of the difficulties encountered by the police
in combating the crime of murder and illustrate so
many features of rural life in the Punjab that I
cannot do better than recount them briefly as a
conclusion to this chapter. The actual names of
persons and places have been disguised, but the
tacts are stated just as tliey occurred.

On the 17th of August 19 — , the murdered body
of a man in the prime of life was discovered in a

108

lonely place. As the deceased was not identified no
relatives were forthcoming to move in the matter,
and the villagers were as usual unwilling to incur
the trouble and inconvenience of a murder case.
It was not till some 8 or 4 days after death therefore
that the police came to know of the murder, and when
everything possible had been done it appeared that
they were faced with yet another hopeless case.
TXie body was photographed and the finger impres-
sions were taken : fortunately the doctor was able to
define the cause of death which was due to strangu-
lation. It was also found that the Adam's apple was
fractured. The facts were circulated in the neigh-
bourhood, but the enquiries bore little fruit.

On the 28rd September one Sultan of village Nur-
pur reported at a neighbouring thana that he suspect-
ed the deceased wa.« his brother Chughatta. Further
questioned he related the following story. A few
years before Chughatta with one Jumma, caste
Kashmiri, of Nurpur, and Kalu of Khand had emigrated
to Sind where they worked as cartmen. Chughatta
fell in love with his employer's wife and persuaded
her to poison her husband with arsenic, which he
provided. The woman subsequently confessed to the
murder, but while the guilty pair were under trial she
conmiitted suicide and the case consequently broke
down, so Chughatta escaped conviction. He re-
turned to Nurpur, but later on he abducted Gulabo,.
the wife of one Kai-m and took her off" to Sind. The
injured husband hied a case in Court and the guilty
couple were brought back, upon which he gladly took
liis wife to his bosom once more, having made a
compromise with Chughatta who paid him Rs. 300
as compensation. Jumma, the Kashmiri, who was a.
great friend of Chughatta came back from Sind to help

109

in the case. It seems that Chuo^hatta could not
•control his passion, for he sold off all his land for
Rs. 1,250, and again bolted with the lady about
ten days after the compromise. On this occasion also
Jumma had given able assistance to his friend and had
escorted the couple to some safe hiding-pUice up country
which was not divulged even to Chughatta's own
family. However some sepoj^s who had come on
recruiting duty some weeks before had told Sultan
that they had seen his erring brother at a railway
junction not far away from his home in company
with Jumma and Kalu. Chughatta introduced
his companions to the sepoys, but specially asked
them not to mention the meeting to an}- of his people.
On hearing tliis Sultan promptly tackled Jumma who
flatly denied the whole episode, but stated that he
knew Chughatta's hiding-place and would take Sultan
to him there after the Id festival. The very da}^ after
the Id Sultan asked Jumma to fulfil his promise but
found him very evasive. He however gave particulars
of an individual in a certain large Cantonment who
was Chughatta's employer and could give the reouired
information. Sultan went off at once, but wivS dis-
appointed to hear from the employer that Chughatta
had been fetched away by two men about a month
previously and although he had promised to return in
a few days he had not been seen since. Sultan then
went to see one Karima, a relative of Jumma, who he
knew was a cook in one of the regiments. He was aston-
ished to find that Karima had also disappeared, and he
was also unable to find any trace of the woman Gulabo
either. Remembering the iprovevh"yaJMrii Afghan doem
Kamhoh, soem bachat Kashmir " (first the Afghan,
second the Kamboh and third the low-born Kashmiri),
his suspicions were now fully aroused in regard to
Jumma, so he came to report to the police. Sultan

no

was promptly sent on to the proper police station with
a copy of his statement. He had not seen his brother
for nearly two years and was unable to identify
the photograph of the semi-decomposed remains.
The police however lost no time in hnang Jumma and
Kalu by the heels. The former denied everything,
but Kalu made a lengthy and detailed statement the
day after he was seized, and as a result of that state-
ment other arrests were made and the following amaz-
ing chronicle of events was brought to light. For the
.sake of brevity I must merely give the story without
detailing how each ramification was discovered.

Jumma was Ghughatta's trusted friend who had
rendered him loyal help in all his quandaries. He
had gone bail for Chughatta in the first abduction
case of Gulabo, and on the second occasion he had
escorted the couple personally to the large Canton-
ment where he arranged for them to live safely con-
cealed in the house of his relatives Sardara and Karima^
the regimental cook. Gulabo gave birth to a child
soon after, and her abductor being the father, he now
longed to keep her as his own and prevail upon
her husband to divorce her. When Jumma left him
to return home he therefore entrusted him with
Rs. 800 to be paid to Kami if the latter agreed to
divorce Gulabo. This large sum was too much for
Jumma's morals. He misappropriated the money
believino; that Chugatta would never return home
to face the warrant which was out foi- his arrest. But
Chugatta, who was anxiously awaiting news of the
divorce, paid a stealthy visit to his home after some
months to find out what Jumma was doing. The
latter was away from home, but his wife was
instructed to warn him and Jumma knew well enough
that his old friend was not a man to be trifled

Ill

with. He had spent the money, and now set about
devising some means of eseapino- the consequences.
Just then he was paid a visit by our friend Kalu,
Rs. 200 of whose money he had also converted to
his own use. He was induced, with considerable
difficulty, to refund Rs. 80, and during the negotia-
tions he brought up the subject of Chughatta. He had
decided that his own safety demanded the death of
his friend, and knowing that Kalu had been guilty of
murder on more than one occasion he invited his
assistance in putting Chughatta out of the way, hinting-
that the debt would be fully repaid into the bar-
gain. Kalu promised to consider the matter and at
a subsequent meeting Rs. 140 was agreed upon as a
reward for the service to be rendered. At the
.same time Kalu suggested the inclusion of a second
assistant, as the intended victim was a man of power-
ful build. Jumma being agreeable they then and
there approached one Habib, a professional murderer,
who readily declared his willingness to assist, his fee
being Rs. 80, to be paid without fail the day after
the murder. After arranging details as to the meet-
ing place Jumma and Kalu went off by train next
day to the Cantonment. On arrival they proceeded to
Chughatta's quarters, where Jumma explained that
Kami was obdurate and refused to divorce his vvife so
the only thing to do was to murder him. They had
therefore come to fetch Chughatta who expressed com-
plete readiness for the enterprise. Before departing,
Jumma had a priv^ate interview with Karima, told
him what they intended to do and suggested that
Gulabo should be sold to someone over the border.
The trio then departed. When changing trains at
the junction Chughatta met his old friends the
sepoys on recruiting duty. Eventually Habib joined
them at the appointed rendezvous, and was duly

112

introduced as an ally. Yet another confederate
was however produced by Kalu in the per-
son of Shahbaz, a young nephew of his
who was anxious to take up murder as a profession,
this beino- recrarded by his uncle as a suitable
opportunity for his initiation. The party set out
on foot after dark and at a lonely spot between
two villages the unsuspecting Chughatta was felled
by the master hand of Habib, and was then
throttled by his erstwhile friend. To make
quite sure however, Kalu gave him a parting blow
on the throat with his stick before these precious
rufhans left their victim, a former comrade and
friend who had never done one of them personally
any harm, whatever his general character might
liave been.

We must now return to Gulabo. At the time of
his departure (^hughatta told her he would return
in a few days, and his prolonged absence made her
uneasy. Xarima had failed to get rid of her in
the manner suggested by Jumma, and as she
became more and niore impatient to know what
was delaying her lover, he deemed it advisable
to acquaint Jumma with her dangerous frame
of mind. He accordingly came down to Nurpur and
had a consultation with Jumma, avS a result o£
which the latter instructed him to bring her down
by train to the station of G. on the day of
the Id. on the excuse that her lover had sent
for her. Jumma then paid a visit to Kalu and
enlisted his assistance in doing away with Gulabo
for a fee of Rs. 60. The pair set out for G.
and arrived in time to meet the appointed train,
which makes a fairly lengthy halt at this station,
a,nd gave plenty of time to find the travellers they

were lookino- for. But instead of alighting Karima
and Gulabo, (who had fallen into the trap) were
bidden to keep their seats, and were joined by
Jumma and Kalu, who had however failed to
purchase tickets, 'i'lie party travelled together for
some 40 miles or so and alighted at a small station
well after ni oh t fall. The intention of the conspirators
was to slip otl" the train on the wrong side and escape
without paying the excess fares. But the fates
were agninst them, for it so happened that they
ran into the arms of an old railway watchman who
was standing at the end of the platform having
just returned from leave by this very train. The
fact that two had no tickets and the two others
had travelled past their proper station was duly
noted in the railway bcoks, and excess fares were
demanded and paid in full. (This remarkable
corroboration of the confession was of the greatest
value). The party then set otf in the dark along a
track skirting some low hills, Karima who knew
the country leading the way, Gulabo following him
carrying her infant. About 3 miles from the
station Karima led the part}' into a narrow torrent
bed, where on a signal from Jumma, Kalu felled
Gulabo with an axe, Karima finally crushing her
skull by dropping two large stones on her head.
The baby was killed by Jumma himself with one
blow. The murderers then hurried away over the
hills to their homes, and Jumma, under the belief
that he was now absolutely secure, wa.'? just a little
truculent when Sultan came to see him the next day.
It was only the extraordinary sequence of events
narrated above which led to the exposure of these
dastardly crimes. Kalu led the police to the scene
•of this last crime on the 29th September, and after
careful search a number of bones, a woman's ring,

114

an infant's glass bangle, etc. etc., M-eie fouiid, and'
Kalu's long statement was corroborated in minute
detail with the result that Habib and Sliahbaz
were also brought to book for their share in the
first crime. The identity of Chughatta was established
by comparing the finger impressions in the sale- deed
of his land with those taken from the corpse found
on the l7th of August. The case incidentally
illustrates the value aiid necessity for confessions
under present conditions in dealing with certain
crimes if justice is to gain the upper hand in this
country. The cry is sometimes raised that all
confessions without distinction should be made
illegal. The result would be a woeful increase in
every form of crime followed before long b}^ some-
thing approaching very nearly to a breakdown of the
administration. It may seem astounding that a
hardened and callous murderer like Kalu should
confess to his crimes so readily, but the fact-
remains.

I will conclude this lengthy but I hope not
uninteresting chapter with a note on the attitude
of Karm, the injured husband of the unfortunate
Gulabo. He had never ceased searching for her
and was actually away from home so engaged
when the clue to the nnn-ders was first obtained.
Her person he considered to be his property
however much he might hate her, and he combined
his search with frequent visits to the tomb of a
certain Pir and prayed there for vengeance on his
faithless wife and her abductor. He was however
present with the police when her remains were
discovered and our stor}' leaves him quite overcome
at the remarkable manner in which, through the
intercession of the Pir, Allah had granted his request.

Jl.=

XII.
IN CAMP.

The district officer is supposed to spend half the
year " in camp, " so his duties away from Headquar-
ters must be of considerable importance. These are
laid down in the regulations, so I do not propose to
tabulate them but onl}- to give a few odd hints on
various questions.

The British officer, even in a more or less hum-
ble position, will find that he has a considerable
following in camp, and in order to prevent all these
people living on the villagers, he should keep his
eyes open and at any rate make it as difficult as
possible for his servants and others to take sup-
plies without paying for them. Very often the local
magnates try and force one to accept such supplies
gratis, but it is best to refuse. It is contrary to orders
to accept supplies from anyone. Thougli not infalli-
ble, a simple method is to order that all supplies should
be paid for by cash in your presence ; no servant to be
otherwise reimbursed for any money spent on your
account. It is no trouble to see this done just be-
fore the next march is begun, and to enquire whether
everyone has paid their bills. Some officials omit all
precautions on the ground that one will be defeated
anyway, but I hold that precautions render extortion
at any rate more difficult. In the case of high offi-
cials it is almost impossible to prevent a good deal of
extortion, and one can see no practical remedy. Take
the case of a Lieutenant-Governor who was on tour

116

some years at^o, which was related to me as a positive
fact. The tour of one district was nearing its close
and most of the native staff had done well, except
His Honour's dhohi. This t^entleman as a last resort
approached the local zaildar, and complained that
two of His Honour's dress shirts had been stolen
from off the line. A report of this meant badnami
with trouble and expense all round, whereas ten
rupees to the dhohi squared everything. Nominally
of course this was to buy two more shirts, but zaildar
as well as dhohi knew equally well that His Honour's
wardrobe had suffered no casualty. Solomon would
have been utterl^^ helpless in the hands of such
people.

The policeman's duties in camp are fairly varied
but he is practically his own master as to dates and
places, and cold weather touring is one of the greatest
joys of the life. It is the happiest combination of
duty and pleasure, and one can easily save up the best
sJiikar spots for the most suitable season of the year,
Shikar and the sJtikari provide useful information of
a varied character, and are a pleasant means of getting
to know the people in as unofficial a way as possible.

It often happens that part of a tour is across
difficult marching country especially for the baggage
which goes on ahead b}^ night. You will naturally
desire to give the servants the benefit of moonlight
for those journeys and will arrange accordingly, and
I therefore give the following ready method of
telling the age of the moon tor any night of the
year. In any almanac you will find what is
called the " Epact Number." I understand that this
means the age of the moon for that year on the 1st
January. To calculate the age of the moon on any
day add to the epact number the date in question

117

plus the number of the month, January being Ist^
February 2nd, June 6th, and so on, Jf the total
is less than 32 subtract 2 ; if it is greater than 32
then subtract that number and the result will
give you the age of the moon on the day or night
in question. Thus, suppose the epact number for
the year is 12, and you want to know what the
moon will be like on the night of the 15th July,
the seventh month of the year : — -Applying the
process given above we get 12 + 15 + 7 = 34: from this
we subtract 32 and iind the night will be pitch
dark with a moon only 2 days old. If the total
had come to, say, 27 we should have subtracted 2
instead of 32. When your reader is repeating a
murder report and you hear that witness afer
witness identified the accused as they ran away on
the night of the 15th July, you can readily appreci-
ate the value of such evidence by the above method.

An important cold weather dut}^ is the revision
of bad character lists, the visiting of villages, encjuir-
ing into old cases which have failed, accidental deaths,
etc. Some officers make a practice of riding round
a large number of villages and making general en-
quiries in that way. 1 have found that one gets
very little information by this method, and it wastes
a tremendous amount of time. My practice is to call
into camp all headmen and local notables within five
miles or so of where I am halting. We sit in a kind
of informal durbar, bad characters are seen by the^
neighbourhood generally which acts as a deterrent,
and after the revision of lists one can give an
impromptu lecture, followed by a general discussion
which is often of great value. The people are shy
enough as a rule, but as soon as one man has been
induced to speak out the others soon follow. All this.

118

is impossible at village-to-village inspection, which
is moreover wearisome in the extreme. One gets so
tired of asking the same questions and saying the
same thing over and over again. After my informal
durbars men often stay beliind to give me any further
information in private so it suits all purposes.

For hot weather touring there are rest-houses
dotted over the district. The villages where these
rest-houses exist are unavoidably put to a great deal
of expense, so in the cold weather it is to my mind
" cricket " to use tents as far as possible, see new
country and avoid the bungalows.

I will try to describe some tjqDical scenes in a
Punjab village, bringing in as many different charac-
ters as possible. Let us suppose that there are three
wards {pattis) in the village, and for convenience
give them separate names. Talwandi will do for
the Mahommedan portion, Patti-ala the {pitti of Ala
Singh) for the Sikhs, and Lopon for the Hindus.
The month might be November but I must
include matters which occur at other seasons of the
year.

Probably the first sound of approaching dawn
is the call to prayer (azan) by the Imani of the
mosque. Before daybreak numbers of muffled figures
will l)e seen making their way to morning prayer. A
fire has been burning under a water heater, so that
•every worshipper can wash his face, hands and feet
before entering the small enclosure which is held
.sacred. '\ here are mats of date palm to stand upon,
and inside there is a liberal allowance of straw or dry
j^rass. Two travellers have spent the night there
and a nice warm bed they have had with a dinner and
■smoke the evening before, paid for from the common

119

village fund {malha) under the orders of thela'inbardar.
The women stay at home, and when the men return
there is a drink of skimmed milk and water (lassi)
waiting for them. The other wards are probably
beginning the day with a drink of the same
kind.

A little later, the cattle not required for well
or plough will collect in the main street from the
various houses, and three or four small boys will
take entire charge and drive them out to graze
for the day. The milch cows and butlaloes will stay
at home to be stall fed. If it is a cold morning
and work is slack groups of villagers will be
noticed when the sun is up, squatting against
the eastern walls of their houses. Those who
have been awake half the night huddled up in a
ilittle seat behind the bullocks as they worked the
Persian- wheel to irrigate the wheat, are badly in
need of the rest and warmth. They lazily watch
the Chamais tanning a buffalo hide on the hillock
outside the village. Not long ago it was the proud
possession of the old widow at the end of the
lane, before it was craftily poisoned with arsenic.
After all Chamars must make a living, and the
old lady has few relations of any influence, so it was
safe enough. A sweeper servant did the actual deed,
and sold the skin when the carcase fell to his lot.

In Lopon the village hania is doing a thriving
lousiness. Someone wants a loan of sixty rupees
to buy seed. He can have it in cash or kind, for a
very hii-ge proportion of the last harvest has found
its wa}^ to old Shylock in repayment of loans.
•Cash or grain, the customer will only get Rs. 50,
in amount, the other ten rupees goes to the fir.st
year's interest then and there, but the amount is

120

entered in the hahi as Rs. 60, and a few years
hence it will read very much like Rs. 100. But
Beli Ram lends without security and he will not
press for payment for years, not until he has
nearly recovered the principal in interest alone, and
can show a debt of four or five liundred rupees
in addition. A simpler, and much m.re profitable
method is to take the wretched borrower's thumb
impression on the blank space in the book, or on
a regulation bond which can be filled in later
on. True enough only Rs. 50 was actually lent,
but it is easy enough to make it a hundred more
for who is going to prove the contrary five years
hence. At any rate, with interest at 25, 50, or
even 100 per cent, it matters little which is principal
and which the interest. The next customer wishes
to pawn his wife's gold nose-ornament in rrder
to help his brother who is being prosecuted for
theft. It won't go very far, for pleaders, subordinate
police and court officials swallow up a mighty
amount of money, but still he must do-
what he can. After him comes a 3'oung fellow
who M-ants to raise mone}^ on six acres of his
land. He can mortgage it, but he cannot sell it
to Shylock who is not of an agriculturalist chiss ; the
Land Alienation Act has seen to that, but only
just in time, for land was rapidly passing into
the hands of money-lenders. The Act has saved
the zamindar from extinction. Even so the village
capital is nearly all in the hands of Beli Ram
and Co. It is no wonder that he i.-s jiow able to-
marry a second wife, but even here he has an
eye to business. His own daughter has a ea-^t ii\
her eye and is unlovely altogether, but she will
bring in a bride-price of Rs. 1,000 when she marries.
Beli Ram is marrying again and will have tu pay

121

a good sum for his bride. His first wife was
bought cheap, only Rs. 300, from that gang which
was selling lowcaste Jammu hill girls at convenient
prices. The gang was broken up by the police,
but Beli Ram's wife was left in peace for she
was happy enough in a comfortable home, and
bore her husband two children. After all the
chief thing in his eyes was not to be found out '
But now he is going to marry again in open fashion
and ■ there will be a good feast, much feeding of
Brahmans, and walking rounl the sacred tire
{j^kera), etc. Hearing that Beli Ram intended to
marry again an offer was made from another vil-
lage through the family barber {nai) who is the
special messenger on such occasions. He came to
spy out the land, arrange terms, etc., and. now
Beli Ram has sent his barber to settle the bargain
finally. He is as happy as a hania can be, for the
iron chest in iiis house has a whole partition
packed with mortgage bonds, his grain bins are
full to overriowing, and the biggest fodder stack in
the whole village is his. He is worth quite
Rs. 90,000. The local (Committee said he should
subscribe to the War Loan, but what chances did
that ofier against the opportunities ready to hand
of soon bringing up his capital to a lakh I Helpino-
the 8arhar to defeat Germans was none of his
affair, provided he was left in peace to contiime his
trade of devouring his neighbours. He had even
evaded the Alienation Act more than once by
getting the mortgaged land mutated in the name of
a zamirtd'ir who was heavily indebted to him and
utterly under his thumb, and who simply worked
the land as his agent. His only relaxation is an
occasional pilgrimage, more often than not to Hard-
war with the ashes of some deceased relation.

122

But it is an expensive affair, and Beli Ram does
not like spending money. His real joy in life is
writing up his accounts from the daily memo or
roznamcha into the cash account (rokar), and from there
to the ledger [khata). And yet there is a limit to the
patience of the villagers, and our friend recollects now
and then with a shudder how Des Raj, the oppressor
of the next village, was murdered two years ago.
His doings finally became more than flesh and
blood could stand, and the more desperate of his
dupes joined hands in slitting his throat one night
and burning every account book and bond which
he possessed. That is why our hero paid good
hard money right and left to procure a license
for the revolver which he has learnt to load but
is far too afraid to fire. However, everyone knows
that he possesses it. For some time he did not
•even buy a weapon though he renewed the license
at the end of the year. It served its purpose
very well, and saved money, but the murder of
Des Raj had scared him badly for his own
conscience was none too clear, and his coup five
years ago had not made him popular. He had,
at the time, a large amount of jewellery in pawn
^nd had made a great haul by breaking the
lock of the door one night and then reporting
that burglars had stolen the lot. The plan had
succeeded but there had been strong suspicions
of the truth. Life on the whole was good ; bad
seasons made no difference for he exacted the
pound of flesh just the same, while he could
generally raise the price of the grain when he
resold it on the excuse that the monsooa
might fail. But Beli Ram lends money without
security and he often has great difficulties in getting
repayment of loans even after he lias got a

123

decree from the Court. The remedy for usury-
would seem to be in making it more difficult for
the thriftless to borrow money, and also in a furthei
growth of the co-operative banking system. There
are signs that the knell of the present system haa
sounded, but many years must pass before new ideas^
take real root in this country.

But enough of Beli Ram, let us see what
others in Lopou are doing. A sleek bull wandera
down the main bazaar, shoving his nose into any
article that takes his fancy. He is sacred and can
roam at will in the young wheat or anywhere
else with no one to say him nay — surely the most
ideal life led by any animal. The bazaar and
cloth shops of Lopon are rather better than the
average, and visitors, especially women from the
villages round, may be seen doing their shopping,
Like their European sisters it will be noticed that
nearly every bale of cloth in the shop is examined
and well tested as to strength and texture before
the final choice is made. There is a good selection
to choose from, for the introduction of Indian
products to the markets of the world has increased
the spending power of all, and articles of luxury
such as gramaphones, harmoniums, armchairs,
overcoats of good English tweed, etc., are to be
found in villages nowadays. I have even come
across a mincing machine ! The finery and jewellery
worn at weddings are a good index of the growing
prosperity of the people.

On the outskirts of Lopon is the village
school, where a boy may study up to the middle
standard. The visitor as he approaches is apt to
imagine that it is a lunatic asylum. for every
inmate is speaking at once. There may be a class.

124

■of thirty small buys all .squatting on a loDcr mat,
€veiy single one of whom is reading to himself
at the top of his voice. The " master " often looks
much the same age as the pupils : he draws some
ten rupees a month, but adds to his ircome by
the presents of ghee, farm produce, and odd annas
which the parents send him by hand cf the boys
from time to time. His authoiity is nil, and the
pupil starts with no respect whatever for the
teacher. In the old days the Maulvi was the only
pedagogue : he was reverenced beyond words by
his pupils, all of whom were proud and more than
ready to do even a menial service for him. The
boy therefore started witli a respect for authority
and learning, which influenced his whole life. He
learnt to obey without question, the only true
road to the art of governing and giving orders
to others. In the English public school the most
experienced masters teach the youngest boys, and
it is the latest arrival from the 'Varsity who
takes the highest classes ; in India the opposite
seems to be the rule, and the result is deplorable.
It is not only that there is no respect for
authorit\ , there is none for parents either. I have
heard a young graduate speak to his own father in a
manner which would probably have been impossible
even twenty years ago. The well-to-do zamindar gives
his son the best education he can afford, hoping that
the boy will get into Government service. There are
not nearly enough appointments available, and the boy
lives on at home, discontented and idle. He has for-
saken the plough for the pen, and cannot return to one
while he finds no material benefit in the other. This
is the egg which hatches into unrest and political
trouble. The headmaster-, of the Lopon school is also
local po.stmaster, and adds perhaps five rupees a

)25

month to liis income by this means. There are 90
boys in the school of whom more than half are hanias
sons, while perhaps 80 are Sikhs, and 10 or 15 are
Mahommedans. The bania as usual gets most out
of the Government which he does the least of
•anyone to support. Tlie school supplies the needs
of villages for a radius of perhaps five miles or
-more.

As we ride round to Patti-ala we notice that
the village is modelled for purposes of defence
from outside aggression. Very few houses have
openings or doors which face outwards : there are
only three main entrances to the village, which
is more or less a walled enclosure. The model
has been handed down from generation to genera-
tion, and is a reminder of the days before British
rule, when nothing, man, beast or property, was
safe, and at any time the village might be
suddenly called upon to resist to the death a
raiding party, or even the Government agent who
came with a small army to wring the uttermo.st
farthing out of the wretched inhabitants. Roving
bauds of dacoits were never far off, no one knew
when lie might not find himself with a bag of
red pepper over his head or a knife at his throat
until he disclosed the hiding place of his few
valuables.

In Patti-ala it is not easy to tell if the children
playiuij about are boys or girls, for both have
long hair which has never been cut. It is
plaited behind and tied to a kind of pad, ending
off with a dome shaped ornament of gold or silver
[clianiilc). A closer examination will show that
the front hair of the girls is done in one or a
number of fine plaits down each side from the
imiddle parting and fastening behind the ears. This

126

will be clone until marriage when no plait will!
be left. This custom applies equally to Hindus
and Mahommedans : it is an easy method of telling
whether a woman is married or not. Another
sign of marriage is the nose ring (nath), the nostril
or central cartilaoe being bored for the purpose
when the child is young. The girls will not however
be called upon to take the pahul or Sikh baptism
like their fathers and brothers. The inirdah
system is probably responsible for the fact that
Indian women take little or no part in religious
worship but education is bringing a change, and'
it may be noted that some Sikh women now
take the ijaJiiil. Indeed I see it is now proposed by
advanced politicians to give Indian women the vote !

There is little doubt that women are
largely responsible for the backwardness and
superstition of the Indian household. Their
conservatism is notorious. The men who see much of
the world would gladly make an advance in
the abolition of insanitary and unhealthy customs,
but often they dare not make a move. The mother-in-
law who bears the same reputation in India as
in other countries would soon put a stop to that !'
I remember one of our Indian officers telling me-
some years ago that he had never married
because he could not face a mother-in-law. How-
ever, be the causes what they may, household
reform is to my mind one of the greatest needs
of modern India. It is in this direction that
the zenana missions, especially the medical missions,
are doing such splendid work. Let the reader
make some enquiries for himself concerning
the antiquated customs of dealing with the new-
born baby, and he will not be surprised at the
appalling rate of infant mortality. The situation-

127

leads to some quaint anachronisms. Take the case of
Kehr Sinorh, the brilliant young Assistant Surgeon
of Patti-ala. His wife's mother and the usual
string of females of varied relationship batten on
his earnings. Every Government servant seems to
have the same huge " family " to feed, and it must
•drive many a man to dishonesty. But I am
straying from the point. What were Kehr Singh's
feelings when his first-born came into the world,
■and he was forced to stand aside while the cus-
toms and superstitions of his fathers ended in
the death of the infant, leaving his wife weakened
and broken in health? I would dearly like to
know what he thinks of it all. He has learnt to ap-
preciate modern surgery and hygiene, but from
the cradle he has been nurtured on superstition
and the unchangeable customs of his people. There
is a Government dispensary in Patti-ala under a
•qualified Sub-Assistant Surgeon, but his indoor
cases are mostly medico-legal, and the outdoor attend-
4ince does not represent a fraction of the cases that
require attention. The Punjabi has always distrusted
our medical lore : it took about 50 years before
he learnt to appreciate vaccination, and he has
made every excuse to avoid plague inoculation and
the like. It may be of interest to record the
belief so widespread among Mohammedans when
plague inoculation first started. It was to the
■effect that the Imam Mehdi had been born, the
Messiah wlio would restore Moslem supremacy
throughout the world. His veins contained milk
instead of blood and this puncturing business
'was really to discover him before it was too late !

Meanwhile the hours are passing in our
village. Most of the able bodied men will spend
the day in their fields, ploughing, sowing or

J 28

watering the crops according to the time oE year..
Between 8 and 11 a.m. the wives or children
will take out the first meal to the fields, usually
chapatties with a curry of dal or vegetable and
a good drink of lassi in an earthen pot. The
real busy time of the year is the wheat harvest,
when every available hand is turned out to get
the crop and the chaff (bhusa) in before the rains
come. Outside labour is often called in to assist,
and high wages are given. Sometimes the daily
wage consists of as heavy a bundle of cut wheat
as the bearer can carry home, but nowadays wages
are mostly paid in cash. The village drums are
in great request to encourage the workers, and they
probably double the output. The drums are a
great feature of village life, whether the occasion
be a wedding, a game, crop cutting, or a good old
riot with the next village over grazing riglits,
or the next turn for canal water. With the
drums behind and a war cry such as " Dam
Ba/iawobl Haq," many broken heads will find their
way to the dispensary.

EveT-y village is a complete unit with its fixed
boundaries, its headmm, menials, place of worship,
etc. The menials play an important part and are
of course indispensable. They work for various
masters, and are paid in kind at harvest time,
besides which they are entitled to certain per-
quisites such as free grazing for animals, free supply
of earth and so on for repair of their houses.
The women of the household spin the cotton on
to bobbins, and the family weaver returns it as
cloth : the potter is most necessary in providing
pots {tL7ids) for the Persian whee's and a host
of other household requirements : the blacksmith

129

and carpenter are in constant requisition for all
agricultural implements, while the moclii and
chamar between them supply footgear and saddlery.
Sanitation seems to be the last and least essential
of village life. The entrance to the village is
generally garlanded with heaps of manure and
refuse, and that smell like a thousand pigsties
which smote you as you rode up is the last
crop of flax soaking in the village pond to rot
the fibre off the stem. Don't be surprised if j'ou
see buffaloes wallowing in the same pond where other
people are bathing, someone is cleaning his
teeth and a traveller is slaking his thirst.

Towards evening the toilers return from the
fields, and the cloud of dust in the distance tells
of the herds doing likewise. As they approach
the village each animal will have a drink at the
pond and then slowly betake itself to its master's
house. In cases of cattle theft the ownei- will
often ask that the animal which he claims as his
own, perhaps years after the actual theft, may be
taken to his village and released on the outskirts in the
presence of witnesses. If it is his property it will
make straight for his house. Just at dark, and
almost simultaneously, fires and smoke will be
seen rising from all parts of the village and its
outlying hamlets. This is the evening meal under
preparation. In the meantime the men foregather
in groups, and discuss current afiairs in the village
square. The one topic of which you will hear
nothing is politics, and the one of which you
will hear most is agriculture. A soldier back on
leave or pension may tell strange and unbelievable
tales of bis experiences, but as a rule the stale of the
crops, the condition of the cattle, and the latest

130

scandal are the real issues which concern the
normal Punjabi. He will hear the truth about
the murder in the next village, and he will hear
and note what the Courts make of it. The enor-
mous number of love intrigues and elopements are
also an unending topic of conversation, not to
mention the latest case in Court and the collection
of evidence in support of it. The last tyranny
or exaction of the local forest, canal or police
officials get their full share of attention, and be
it noted that I quote them in a certain order of
precedence.

And so the long day draws to its close : as the
light fails the evening meal is eaten, the muazan
sounds the call to the fifth and last prayer, and
as the pariah dogs begin their nightly concert the
village retires to rest. A good many will have their
beds in the fields beside their crops, and at any hour
of the night that you may select to visit a village you
will find someone about, but the vast majority
sleep like the dead after another day of heavy labour
in the struggle for the necessities of life. The
Punjabi peasant with all his faults is a fine fellow,
and above all things he is a man. The yeomen are
a splendid class, and the large landowners are often
real gentlemen whose affection and friendship for
British officers has been genuinely mutual. The
relations between the British and Indian officers of
the Indian Army are one of the finest traditions of
that splendid corps. The civil official has a far wider
field to work, but his Indian friends would
probably be the first to proclaim that his term of
exile in this country has not been unfruitful of benefit
to themselves. He, for his part, is and always will
be intensely proud of his Province, and will ever look
back with pride upon his association with its people.

PRINTED AT "THE CIVIL AND MILITARY (JAZETTE "
PRESS, LAHORE, BY EDWIN HAWARD, MANAGER.

HV Iver, George Grosvenor Bruce
7809 In an Indian district
P8I9
1919

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