The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-08-28

three maidens sleeping together. In
addition there is sometimes an old
woman Is chaperon. I am told she Is
often half blind and spends but little
time on the job.
Women With More Than One Husband.
Polygamy is common throughout
most parts of India. There are some
thing like 60,0O0,oo0 Mohammedans
scattered over the country, who by
their religion have the right to four
wiveS. and there are 20.00o.O0O Hindoos.
each OF whom has as many wives and
slave girls as he can support.
High up in the Himalayas the reverse
is the case. The Bhotiyas, some of
whom I saw during my trip through
the mountains, practice polyandrW
husbands. This is SO with the Thibe-
tans and others of the far north. and
sometimes with the Jats Of the Pun
lab and the oantals of Bengal 1t
is still common along the whole Hima-
layan range from Assam to kashmir,
and also among the Todas OF the
Nilgiri hills
Such marriages are often matter
of bargain and sail If there is
pretty girl in the family and a man
falls in love with her he pays so
HluCu 10 ueE ptLAAlSp ana possibly
! comes into tho house as her husband.
After. a time a second lover may ap-
pear. and without the first husband
can offer a large sum to secure ex-
elusive possession, he pays his price
and joins the circle. I am told that
1T is entirely a question of money, and
that the man who can afford 1T can
have wife to himself In such mar
rhges the children are looked upon
as belonging to the women and their
fathers can lay no claim to them.
In the Nilsiri Hills.
| In southern India there are many
strange tribes. In the Might hills,
a great pleateau. over a mile high. not
far from Madras, there are aborigines
who correspond to the Anus of Japan.
They are hairy people. noted for their
| drunkenness and laxtty or morals.
They dwell in huts about ten feet high,
with doorways SO small that one has
to crawl In and out on all tours. Their
\ dwellings are made of bamboo and
covered with thatch. They are chiefly
\ herdsmen and noted for their long
! horned buffaloes, which they drive
about from place to place to pasture.
These people worship the rising sun
and the moon, and they have other
,lgods Of various kinds. They now and
| tnen SaCrlnCe calves, with the hope
that the cows will give more milk; and
| at funerals they sacrifice buffaloes,
| believing that their souls will go with
the dead up to heaven.
The Todas are allied to the flrewalk-
ers people who claim that they can
trot over living Goals without harm
/ I see an instance Of one of their cere-
monies In to-day's paper. 1t took place
at Mushirabad. where, 1t Is related
A the people. by a great fire of wood
! made bed of live charcoal eighteen
fleet in diameter. While the Goals
were still red two priests bearing
flags. jumped barefooted into them and
i walked to and fro again and again
i over the fire. AS they did so the people
to the number of hundreds walked
i over the Goals, and among them We're
children OF all ages The newspaper
account says that not single one
! received injury, not even burn, and
j that the only effect of the ordeal was to
4 make them perspire profusely,
A Another strange people of India are
\ the Kandhs. or mountainous. They
4 We're great in the past and bloodthirsty