man having a cow with him should not be
murdered, no doubt on account of the sanctity attaching to the
animal. But in one case of a murder of fourteen persons including
women and a man with a cow at Kotri in the Damoh District, the Thugs,
having made acquaintance with the party, pretended that they had
made a vow to offer a cow at a temple in Shahpur lying on their road
and persuaded the cow's owner to sell her to them for this sacred
purpose, and having duly made the offering and deprived him of the
protection afforded by the cow, they had no compunction in strangling
him with all the travellers. Travellers who had lost a limb were also
exempted from death, but this rule too was broken, as in the case of
the native officer with his two daughters who was murdered by the
Thugs he had befriended; for it is recorded that this man had lost
a leg. Pilgrims carrying Ganges water could not be killed if they
actually had the Ganges water with them; and others who should not be
murdered were washermen, sweepers, oil-vendors, dancers and musicians,
carpenters and blacksmiths, if found travelling together, and religious
mendicants. The reason for the exemption of carpenters and blacksmiths
only when travelling together may probably have been that the sacred
pickaxe was their joint handiwork, having a wooden handle and an iron
head; and this seems a more likely explanation than any other in view
of the deep veneration shown for the pickaxe. Maimed persons would
probably not be acceptable victims to the goddess, according to the
rule that the sacrifice must be without spot or blemish. The other
classes have already been discussed under the exemption of first
victims. Among the Deccan Thugs if a man strangled any victim of a
class whom it was forbidden to kill, he was expelled from the community
and never readmitted to it. This was considered a most dreadful crime.

22. Belief in omens

The Thugs believed that the wishes of the deity were constantly
indicated to them by the appearance or cries of a large number of wild
animals and birds from which they drew their omens; and indeed the
number of these was so extensive that they could never be at a loss
for an indication of the divine will, and difficulties could only
arise when the omens were conflicting. As a general rule the omen
varied according as it was heard on the left hand, known as Pilhao,
or the right, known as Thibao. On first opening an expedition an omen
must be