THE PEOPLE OF INDIA 221

The Bhil is as much a cattle lifter and thief as the
Scotch borderers of 200 years ago. He ¢ proclaims himself
 to be a thief by Divine decree as part of the curse
pronounced upon his ancestors by the great god Mahadeo
 when he slew the sacred bull,” but he is gradually
losing his predatory habits and taking to agricultural
pursuits. So long as his crops flourish and times are
prosperous the Bhil is fairly well behaved, but in times of
drought and famine, when streams run dry and there is no
fish, and “ when the wild animals leave his neighbourhood
‘or distant and low-lying jungleswhere they can obtain water
and shelter, then the Bhil in self-preservation turns with a
light heart to the congenial occupation of cattle lifting.”
Some years ago a military corps of Bhils was raised,
which has done much to reclaim these people from their
wild habits. The corps has proved a success. The Bhil
soldier may not be much to look at when compared to
the more regular sepoy of the Indian army, but he is an
excellent policeman (as might he expected from his
original trade) ; he is an adept at every sort of woodcraft,
an excellent shot, and possesses marvellous powers of
endurance. Withal he is most astonishingly truthful ;
his oath taken on the head of his dog is never known to
be false ; he is gay, light-hearted, and a sad drunkard.
Like the Gurkha, he is savage in his cups, and nine-tenths
of the crimes committed amongst Bhils are the result of
alcoholic fury aroused by the spirit of the Mohwa, the
fruit which is found abundantly in the forests of the
Central Provinces.
The Bhil lives much on natural produce, collecting
honey and roots and berries. It is a curious fact that
years of drought and famine are usually years of special
abundance in jungle produce ; the bér (jujube) Mohwa,
bamboo, and Corinda shrub contribute greatly to mitigate
the effects of famine amongst these people. The Bhil
worships the gods of the Hindus more or less, but his
principal deity is the local village god; his idols are
asually mere heaps of stones, and he never builds temples.
Traces of tree worship are to be found amongst them