Seeing no chance of escape, he plunged both sword and
spear into his own belly, and died, though Captain Bunbury came up,
had his wounds sewn up, and did all he could to save him.]
Stopping to talk with the peasantry of a village who had come out to
the roadside to pay their respects and see the procession, I asked
them how, amidst such crimes and disorders, they could preserve their
crops so well. "Sir," said they, "we find it very difficult and
expensive to do so, and shall find it still more so when the crops
are cut and stacked, or have been threshed and stored; then these
gangs of robbers have it all their own way, and burn and plunder all
over the country; we are obliged to spend all we have in maintaining
watchmen for our fields." "But the pausee bowmen have an allowance
for this duty, have they not?" "Yes, sir, they have all an allowance.
Every cultivator, when he cuts his crop, leaves a certain portion
standing for the pausee who has guarded it, and this we call his
_Bisar_. Over and above this he has a portion of land from the
proprietor or holder of the village, which he tills himself or gets
tilled by others." "And they are strong and faithful watchmen, are
they not?" "Yes, sir, they are; and though they will thieve and join
gangs of robbers in any enterprise, they will never betray their
trust. They consider it a _point of honour_ not to trespass on fields
or property under the guardianship of members of their own class with
whom they are on good terms, or to suffer any persons whatever to
trespass on what is under their own care.
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