for women than
men. It is related that when the Mughal general Asaf Khan first made an
expedition into the north of the Central Provinces he found the famous
Gond-Rajput queen Durgavati of the Garha-Mandla dynasty governing with
success a large and prosperous state in this locality. He thought a
country ruled by a woman should fall an easy prey to the Muhammadan
arms, and to show his contempt for her power he sent her a golden
spindle. The queen retorted by a present of a gold cotton-cleaner's
bow, and this so enraged the Mughal that he proceeded to attack the
Gond kingdom. The story indicates that cotton-carding is considered
a Muhammadan profession, and also that it is held in contempt.

5. Proverbs about Bahnas.

Various sayings show that the Bahna is not considered a proper
Muhammadan, as

Turuk to Turuk
Aur Bahna Turuk,

or 'A Muhammadan (Turk) is a Muhammadan and the Bahna is also a
Muhammadan'; and again--

Achera, [84] Kachera, Pinjara,
Muhammad se dur, Din se niyara,

or 'The Kachera and Pinjara are lost to Muhammad and far from the
faith'; and again--

Adho Hindu adho Musalman
Tinkhon kahen Dhunak Pathan,

or 'Half a Hindu and half a Muhammadan, that is he who is a Dhunak
Pathan.' They have a grotesque imitation of the Muhammadan rite of
_halal_, or causing an animal's blood to flow on to the ground with
the repetition of the _kalma_ or invocation; thus it is said that when
a Bahna is about to kill a fowl he addresses it somewhat as follows:

Kahe karkarat hai?
Kahe barbarat hai?
Kahe jai jai logon ka dana khat hai?
Tor kiamat mor niamat,
Bismillah hai tuch,

or "Why do you cackle? Why do you crow? Why do you eat other people's
grain? Your death is my feast; I touch you in the name of God." And
saying this he puts a knife to the fowl's throat. The vernacular verse
is a good imitation of the cackling of a fowl. And again, they slice
off the top of an egg as if they were killing an animal and repeat the
formula, "White dome, full of moisture, I know not if there is a male
or female within; in the name of God I kill you." A person whose memory
is not good enough to retain these texts will take a knife and proceed
to one who knows them. Such a man will repeat the texts over the knife,
blowing on it as h