Page:History of India Vol 9.djvu/297

 THE WKETCHED ESTATE OF THE PARIAHS 249 things for beasts. Some of them serve as soldiers. The Perreaes first named are held to be better in caste than the second, wherefore they may in no wise eat in the houses of the Siriperen. Nevertheless, the Siriperen may well eat in the houses of the Perreaes, and they must also do worship unto them, raising their hands and standing up before them. And since, in the year 1640, a certain Siripere in Paliacatta would not do this, the Perreaes seized him and cut off his hair, the which is the greatest affront and shame that can be done to any one. When these Siriperen marry, they may not erect any pandael (shed) with more than three stakes. You must know that in this land the custom is that, when- ever a bride is in the house, some stakes are set up before the door, which are covered above, somewhat higher than a man, with lighter sticks, on which verdure is laid to cast shade beneath; and on the stakes which are the posts and stand upright, pisang leaves are fas- tened as tokens of joy. The structure aforesaid is called pandael in the language of the country. Now in the construction of such a pandael these people may have no more than three stakes, and in case they should transgress herein, the entire city would be in an uproar. On the neck of these people lieth certain servitude, since whensoever one of the caste of Comitijs, Sittijs, oil-millers, Palijs, smiths, or goldsmiths, is dead, and of wealth, and will have a shroud bought for him, the which they give to the Siriperen, then must these Siri- peren dishevel their beards; and whensoever the dead