273
forty consumers of ganja. Formerly there were
far more. Formerly there was great consumption
owing to the cheapness of the drug. Now rum
is given to the men on hard work on campaigns at
a considerably reduced rate (21/2 annas worth for
one anna). They thus acquire the habit of drink-
ing liquor instead of using ganja.
The use of ganja is generally practised in secret.
The men do not like the native of f icers to know
about it. But we get information. When his
conduct begins to show signs of it (for the use of
ganja leads to the deterioration of the sepoy),
then the explanation offered is that he has taken
to ganja. If his conduct had not begun to de-
teriorate, I should not hear anything of it ; for he
would practise the use in secret. The thirty or
forty men to whom I have above referred are men
whose conduct is not as good as it was. Apart
from bad conduct no intimation would come to
me.
When I hear of a man being thus careless or
bad in his conduct, I send for him and ask him
about it. He denies the use as a rule. The rea-
son is that a man who neglects his duty or is of
bad conduct owing to the use of the drug is liable
to be discharged. There is no rule to this effect.
But soldiers are bound not to give themselves to
intoxicating drugs such as ganja or opium or to
liquor in excess. There is no penalty attaching to
the moderate use of drugs or liquor. So long as a
man takes them in moderation and keeps bold of
himself there is no harm. These thirty or forty
men to whom 1 have referred are none of them
bad enough to be discharged. But all of them
show more or less signs of deterioration. They
have more or less acquired the habit so as to affect
their characters. I do not think there are many
moderate consumers in the regiment besides them.
Native officers know such matters well. These
consumers are not respected in the regiment. The
non-consumers look down on and avoid them.
They are both Musalmans and Hindus and also
Aghyans (or low caste people). Foreigners are
not enlisted in our regiment.
I never report to the Commanding Officer until
I have clear proof that the man is a consumer.
None of these men have been reported ; for, though
I believe from their conduct that they are con-
sumers, I have no clear proof of it, and have never
seen any of them smoke. We have defaulters'
sheets of men who have been punished in any way.
The name of ganja smokers would not be entered
in the defaulters' sheets unless they are punished
for some offence.
If I saw a man smoking ganja I should at once
have him arrested and report him to the Command-
ing Officer. I have never had to do this in any
case since I have held a commission, nor have I
ever had occasion in my service to arrest a man
for this, I had a case a few months ago, but it
was a case of opium. The drug was found in the
man's kit. Under the Articles of War there is a
strict prohibition against using any kind of in-
toxicants. And any man who takes drugs at all
is liable to arrest and to dismissal from the, service.
There is no order against ganja other than is
against liquor ; there is a general order against the
use of intoxicants, and a man who touches ganja
or spirits is liable to disobedience to orders.
There is only one man, a Hindu, in my company
whom I have had to talk to about such matters.
They are dealt with by company officers. I told
him that I had heard he smoked. He denied it
and took oath of his caste. He is a young man.
I told him his carelessness in duty showed him to
be a smoker. He again denied it. He has ap-
peared in the defaulter's' sheet for neglect of duty.
There are two or three such smokers in my com-
pany. But I have only spoken to this one ; and
I have no proof against him. If there is any
fight or theft or other such offence and I hear of it,
I make an inquiry, calling witnesses, and have the
man punished. If I heard an equally definite
complaint that a man had smoked ganja, I should
take the same course. Such a case has never
occurred in my experience. No open smoking has
ever occurred. All I know about the thirty or
forty men I have mentioned is that I have heard
that it is believed that they smoke secretly in their
houses. There is no evidence available.
Question 51.—This statement about the children
of smokers being puny is not based on regimental
experience, but on what I have noticed of the
children of fakirs and other poor people who
smoke. Of course, I have never made any special
inquiry ; but this is my impression.
In our regiment we have only four Kahars or
Bhoois attached to the hospital. But on service
we had Kahars, Hindustanis, to the number of 40
or 50 at a time. They were generally consumers
of the drugs. I never saw any deterioration in.
their work from taking ganja, but the consumer
who was accustomed to the drug could not work
without it; he seemed unfit for work. They have
very heavy work.
Question 53.—No case of murder from drugs
has ever happened in my regiment. But I re-
member that a case occurred in Bangalore in 1885
in the 12th Madras Infantry, in which a sepoy
named Ramkistama shot the Jamadar, Adjutant,
and Drill Havildar of his regiment. The men of
the 12th said he was a great ganja smoker. He
was hanged. There was no enmity, but great
friendship between the sepoy and the Jamadar in
this case. I heard of another case which occurred
a year later in the same regiment, in which a Jama-
dar shot the Subadar with a revolver and then his
wife and then himself. I asked about the matter,
and heard that the Jamadar had been a ganja
smoker, and also that there had been great enmity
between him and the Subadar.
I remember also a case of a bairagi who com-
mitted suicide by thrusting his tongs into his
throat. I was playing near at the time. He was
a ganja smoker. This was in 1866 at Hoshanga
-bad when I was a boy with my father, who served
in this regiment. People said he was a ganja
smoker, and saw him smoke. I know that
bairagis also use dhatura, but that was not me
n - t i o n e d .
Besides these three cases I have never myself
known ary case of the connection of hemp drugs -
with such crimes. I have never seen any other
such case. I have been told of such cases occur-
ring in other places.
Question 54.—My answer here is purely based
on hearsay. I have never seen such a ease.
Question 55 .—My answer here is based on hear-
say. I have never seen such a ease, except that I
can recall the case of a man in my regiment in
1868 or 1869, who was said to have given his wife
majum and made her insensible, and then cut her
throat through jealousy. It was at Kamptee. I
remember the murder. I was in the regiment.
vol. vi.
2 P