ded, and as an instance of the terror which they create
among the ignorant, it may be mentioned that in the Lucknow District
it is believed that if alms are refused them the Aghoris will cause
those who refuse to be attacked with fever.

"On the other hand, their good offices may secure benefits, as in the
case of a zamindar of Muzaffarnagar, who at Allahabad refused to eat a
piece of human flesh offered to him by an Aghori; the latter thereupon
threw the flesh at the zamindar's head, on which it stuck. The zamindar
afterwards became so exceedingly wealthy that he had difficulty in
storing his wealth."

2. Instances of cannibalism.

In former times it is believed that the Aghoris used to kidnap
strangers, sacrifice them to the goddess and eat the bodies, and
Mr. Barrow relates the following incident of the murder of a boy: [10]
"Another horrible case, unconnected with magic and apparently arising
from mere blood-thirst, occurred at Neirad in June 1878. An Aghori
mendicant of Dwarka staying at the temple of Sitaram Laldas seized a
boy of twelve, named Shankar Ramdas, who was playing with two other
boys, threw him down on the _oatla_ of the temple, ripped open his
abdomen, tore out part of his entrails, and, according to the poor
little victim's dying declaration, began to eat them. The other boys
having raised an alarm, the monster was seized. When interrogated by
the magistrate as to whether he had committed the crime in order to
perform Aghorbidya, the prisoner said that as the boy was Bhakshan
he had eaten his flesh. He added that if he had not been interrupted
he would have eaten all the entrails. He was convicted, but only
sentenced to transportation for life. The High Court, however,
altered the sentence and ordered the prisoner to be hanged."

The following instance, quoted by Mr. Barrow from Rewah, shows how an
Aghori was hoist with his own petard: "Some years ago, when Maharaja
Bishnath Singh was Chief of Rewah, a man of the Aghori caste went
to Rewah and sat _dharna_ on the steps of the palace; having made
ineffectual demands for alms, he requested to be supplied with human
flesh, and for five days abstained from food. The Maharaja was much
troubled, and at last, in order to get rid of his unwelcome visitor,
sent for Ghansiam Das, another Aghori, a Fakir, who had for some
years lived in Rewah. Ghansiam Das went up to the other Aghori and
asked him if it was true that he had asked to be supplied with h