Page:Malabari, Behramji M. - Gujarat and the Gujaratis (1882).djvu/110

94 ascertained that he was a Desái, and was on a visit to Ahmedabad. He came from Billimorá.

This Desái, or the family of the Desáis rather, are petty officials under the Guicowár, and possess holdings in Nowsári, Gandevi, and Billimorá. The revenue and other exactions of former Guicowárs were hard enough to bear for the poorer people of these parts; but the Desáis, taking advantage of the misrule of later days, seem to have added their own taxes and imposts to those already existing. And these iniquitous exactions have, it is said, been levied until now when the unhappy peasantry and traders are absolutely unable to bear them.

It is curious to see how these Desáis' imposts were first brought into existence. The Desái, for instance, had, in a prosperous year, a superfluity of grain. He left a few maunds at the house of each of the villagers, and after a short interval billed them for the grain—at fancy rates. This was sharp practice enough. But that was only the beginning. Next year the Desái forgot