Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 13, 1902.djvu/287

Rh forbid the surrender of refugees. If one of the fugitives is slain in the territory of another clan, a blood-feud may probably be started. There is, however, a remedy in pecuniary compensation, which our administration has utilised and reduced to a system in the management of these wild tribes. The woman is regarded as a piece of property, worth four or five hundred rupees, stolen by one tribe or clan from another, and compensation may be accepted without loss of honour—compensation in kind if possible, but estimated in cash terms. Thus it may be arranged that the fixed sum is to be paid by the injuring to the injured party, but in fact money seldom passes. A suitable bride is given by the defendant's family to a member of the plaintiff's family, and the aggrieved party then gives in a receipt for the sum awarded as compensation. The Qur'an̄ is brought in, and everyone swears to keep the peace, and the incident is closed. Of course such a result requires long and troublesome negotiations, which are carried on under the supervision of a jirga, or assembly of chiefs and leading men, who settle the final terms to be submitted for the British officer's sanction.

Not only cases about women, but murders of other sorts, springing out of old feuds, disputes about boundaries, cattle thefts, rights in water, are similarly dealt with. This system is followed with Baloch tribes whether in our territory or partially independent, and as I had many years' experience in working it, I may be allowed to say that it has proved successful. To the late Sir Robert Sandeman the principal credit of this is due. We used to have a sort of parliament of tribes annually at Fort Munro in the Sulaimans, where the chiefs of the different jurisdictions with the officers in charge would meet to discuss all the cases which had arisen during the year; and when all had been settled, the proceedings would conclude with a general feasting and merrymaking. Scores of sheep would be slain and roasted by long lines of wood fires along the hill sides; and far