orps
had to say to him, Outram at length won their confidence, convinced
them of his good faith and dissipated their fears of treachery. Soon
the ranks of the corps became full, and for every vacant place there
were numbers of applicants. The Bhils freely hunted down and captured
their friends and relations who continued to create disturbances,
and brought them in for punishment. Outram managed to check their
propensity for liquor by paying them every day just sufficient for
their food, and giving them the balance of their pay at the end of
the month, when some might have a drinking bout, but many preferred
to spend the money on ornaments and articles of finery. With the
assistance of the corps the marauding tendencies of the hill Bhils
were suppressed and tranquillity restored to Khandesh, which rapidly
became one of the most fertile parts of India. During the Mutiny the
Bhil corps remained loyal, and did good service in checking the local
outbursts which occurred in Khandesh. A second battalion was raised
at this time, but was disbanded three years afterwards. After this the
corps had little or nothing to do, and as the absence of fighting and
the higher wages which could be obtained by ordinary labour ceased
to render it attractive to the Bhils, it was finally converted into
police in 1891. [329]

5. Subdivisions.

The Bhils of the Central Provinces have now only two subdivisions, the
Muhammadan Bhils, who were forcibly converted to Islam during the time
of Aurangzeb, and the remainder, who though retaining many animistic
beliefs and superstitions, have practically become Hindus. The
Muhammadan Bhils only number about 3000 out of 28,000. They are
known as Tadvi, a name which was formerly applied to a Bhil headman,
and is said to be derived from _tad_, meaning a separate branch or
section. These Bhils marry among themselves and not with any other
Muhammadans. They retain many Hindu and animistic usages, and are
scarcely Muhammadan in more than name. Both classes are divided into
groups or septs, generally named after plants or animals to which
they still show reverence. Thus the Jamania sept, named after the
_jaman_ tree, [330] will not cut or burn any part of this tree, and
at their weddings the dresses of the bride and bridegroom are taken
and rubbed against the tree before being worn. Similarly the Rohini
sept worship the _rohan_ [331] tree, the Avalia sept the _aonla_
[332] tree, the Meheda sept the _bahe