present to be a cadet of his family, whilst after
dinner he drank to every one of his cousins by name, each of them in
return pledging him--the better sort in French claret, the lower class
in husky (whisky)." Here also the drinking of wine together perhaps
implied the renewal of a pledge of fealty and protection between the
chief and his clansmen, all of whom were held to be of his kin. The
belief in the kinship of the whole clan existed among the Rajputs
exactly as in the Scotch clans. In speaking of the Rathors Colonel
Tod states that they brought into the field fifty thousand men, _Ek
bap ka beta_, the sons of one father, to combat with the emperor of
Delhi; and remarks: "What a sensation does it not excite when we know
that a sentiment of kindred pervades every individual of this immense
affiliated body, who can point out in the great tree the branch of
his origin, of which not one is too remote from the main stem to
forget his pristine connection with it." [480]

The taking of opium and wine together, as already described, thus
appear to be ceremonies of the same character, both symbolising the
renewal of a covenant between kinsmen.

10. Improved training of Rajput chiefs

The temptations to a life of idleness and debauchery to which Rajput
gentlemen were exposed by the cessation of war have happily been
largely met and overcome by the careful education and training which
their sons now receive in the different chiefs' colleges and schools,
and by the fostering of their taste for polo and other games. There is
every reason to hope that a Rajput prince's life will now be much like
that of an English country gentleman, spent largely in public business
and the service of his country, with sport and games as relaxation. Nor
are the Rajputs slow to avail themselves of the opportunities for the
harder calling of arms afforded by the wars of the British Empire,
in which they are usually the first to proffer their single-hearted
and unselfish assistance.

11. Dress

The most distinctive feature of a Rajput's dress was formerly his
turban; the more voluminous and heavy this was, the greater distinction
attached to the bearer. The cloth was wound in many folds above the
head, or cocked over one ear as a special mark of pride. An English
gentleman once remarked to the minister of the Rao of Cutch on the
size and weight of his turban, when the latter replied, 'Oh, this is
nothing, it only weighs fifteen poun