s her consent, as she always does, they go out and
formally communicate it to the Kazi. The dowry is then settled, and
the bond of marriage is sealed. But when the parents of the bride are
poor they receive a bride-price of Rs. 30, from which they pay the
dowry. The Bhishtis worship their leather bag (_mashk_) as a sort of
fetish, and burn incense before it on Fridays. [354] The traditional
occupation of the Bhishti is to supply water, and he is still engaged
in this and other kinds of domestic service. The name is said to be
derived from the Persian _bihisht_, 'paradise,' and to have been given
to them on account of the relief which their ministrations afforded
to the thirsty soldiery. [355] Perhaps, too, the grandiloquent name
was applied partly in derision, like similar titles given to other
menial servants. They are also known as Mashki or Pakhali, after
their leathern water-bag. The leather bag is a distinctive sign of
the Bhishti, but when he puts it away he may be recognised from the
piece of red cloth which he usually wears round his waist. There is
an interesting legend to the effect that the Bhishti who saved the
Emperor Humayun's life at Chausa, and was rewarded by the tenure
of the Imperial throne for half a day, employed his short lease of
power by providing for his family and friends, and caused his leather
bag to be cut up into rupees, which were gilded and stamped with the
record of his date and reign in order to perpetuate its memory. [356]
The story of the Bhishti obtaining his name on account of the solace
which he afforded to the Muhammadan soldiery finds a parallel in the
case of the English army:

The uniform 'e wore
Was nothin' much before,
An' rather less than 'arf o' that be'ind,
For a piece o' twisty rag
An' a goatskin water-bag
Was all the field-equipment 'e could find.

With 'is mussick on 'is back,
'E would skip with our attack,
An' watch us till the bugles made 'Retire,'
An' for all 'is dirty 'ide
'E was white, clear white, inside
When 'e went to tend the wounded under fire. [357]

An excellent description of the Bhishti as a household servant is
contained in Eha's _Behind the Bungalow_, [358] from which the
following extract is taken: "If you ask: Who is the Bhishti? I
will tell you. Bihisht in the Persian tongue means Paradise, and a
Bi