devotions, to obtain help to carry on their wicked delights. Gangs meet
together, and, after having offered bloody sacrifices, and worshipped
their weapons, and having drunk some intoxicating liquor, and rubbed
their bodies with oil, they go forth to rob. They have a prayer, which
they offer when they worship their weapons. It is as follows: "O,
instrument formed by the goddess, Karle commands thee to cut a passage
into the house, to cut through stones, bones, bricks, wood, the earth,
and mountains, and cause the dust thereof to be carried away by the
wind." Scattered throughout India, there is a lawless set of men whose
profession it is to get their food by murder. They are called
Phansiagars, or Thugs. They owe their origin and laws to Karle. They say
that she told them to become murderers and plunderers. They are called
Phansiagars, from the name of the instrument which they use when they
murder people. Phansiagar means a strangler, and they use a phansi, or
noose, which they throw over the necks of those whom they intend to
plunder, and strangle them. These Phansiagars are composed of all
castes, Hindoos, Mahommedans, pariahs, and chandellars. This arises from
the circumstance that they never destroy the children of those whom they
rob and murder. These children they take care of, and bring up to their
own horrible mode of life. They always murder those whom they rob,
acting upon the maxim that "dead men tell no tales." A gang of these
robbers varies from a dozen to sixty or seventy persons. These divide
into small parties. Those whom they murder are travellers, whom they
happen to meet on the road. Sometimes two or three of a gang will take
up their station in a choultry, or place where the traveller stops, and
while he sleeps, they rouse him from his sleep, and cast the noose over
his head and kill him. It takes two persons to kill a man. One casts the
noose over his head, and immediately tightens it with all his strength;
the other strikes him on the joint of his knees as he rises, which
causes him to fall forwards. After he has fallen, they kick him on the