NOTE 5.—­Dr. Caldwell, speaking of the devil-worship of the Shanars of Tinnevelly (an important part of Ma’bar), says:  “Where they erect an image in imitation of their Brahman neighbours, the devil is generally of Brahmanical lineage.  Such images generally accord with those monstrous figures with which all over India orthodox Hindus depict the enemies of their gods, or the terrific forms of Siva or Durga.  They are generally made of earthenware, and painted white to look horrible in Hindu eyes.” (The Tinnevelly Shanars, Madras, 1849, p. 18.)

NOTE 6.—­The use of the Yak’s tail as a military ornament had nothing to do with the sanctity of the Brahmani ox, but is one of the Pan-Asiatic usages, of which there are so many.  A vivid account of the extravagant profusion with which swaggering heroes in South India used those ornaments will be found in P. della Valle, II. 662.

[1] Should be “year” no doubt.

CHAPTER XIX.

CONCERNING THE KINGDOM OF MUTFILI.

When you leave Maabar and go about 1,000 miles in a northerly direction you come to the kingdom of MUTFILI.  This was formerly under the rule of a King, and since his death, some forty years past, it has been under his Queen, a lady of much discretion, who for the great love she bore him never would marry another husband.  And I can assure you that during all that space of forty years she had administered her realm as well as ever her husband did, or better; and as she was a lover of justice, of equity, and of peace, she was more beloved by those of her kingdom than ever was Lady or Lord of theirs before.  The people are Idolaters, and are tributary to nobody.  They live on flesh, and rice, and milk.[NOTE 1]

It is in this kingdom that diamonds are got; and I will tell you how.  There are certain lofty mountains in those parts; and when the winter rains fall, which are very heavy, the waters come roaring down the mountains in great torrents.  When the rains are over, and the waters from the mountains have ceased to flow, they search the beds of the torrents and find plenty of diamonds.  In summer also there are plenty to be found in the mountains, but the heat of the sun is so great that it is scarcely possible to go thither, nor is there then a drop of water to be found.  Moreover in those mountains great serpents are rife to a marvellous degree, besides other vermin, and this owing to the great heat.  The serpents are also the most venomous in existence, insomuch that any one going to that region runs fearful peril; for many have been destroyed by these evil reptiles.