Page:Sikhim and Bhutan.djvu/417

 Fines can be paid in cash, animals, and articles of different kinds.

The price for killing a gentleman who has 300 servants, or a superintendent of a district, or a lama professor, is 300 to 400 gold srang. For full lamas, Government officers, and gentlemen with 100 servants the fine is 200 oz. of gold.

For killing gentlemen who possess a horse and five or six servants, or working lamas, the fine is 145 to 150 oz. of gold.

For killing men with no rank, old lamas, or personal servants the fine is 80 oz. of gold.

For killing a man who has done good work for Government the fine is 50 to 70 oz. of gold.

For killing common people and for villagers the price is 30 to 40 oz. of gold.

For killing unmarried men, servants, and butchers the price is 30 gold srang; and for killing blacksmiths and beggars, 10 to 20 oz. of gold.

These prices can also be paid in grain. The prices for funeral expenses must be paid within forty-nine days.

On the fines being paid, a letter must be written, and a copy given to each party, saying that everything has been settled. If a case is reopened a fine must be paid by him who opens the case. The murderer must write to the effect he will not commit such a crime again. Part of the fines can be given towards the funeral expenses of the deceased.

In the old law it is written that for any drop of blood shed the price varies from one to one-quarter zho. A man may even be beheaded for wounding a superior. For wounding his own servant a man is not fined, but he must tend the wounded man. Should two men fight and one wound the other, he who first drew his knife is fined, and he who is wounded must be tended by the other till his wounds be well. The fines are payable in money or kind. Should one man wound another without any fight, he is fined according to the law of murder.

If in a fight a limb or an eye is injured the compensation to be given is fixed by Government.