Notwithstanding their predatory habits, the Be looches are proverbial for their hospitality. Among them pilfering is considered a most despicable act ; and when they once promise to afford protection. to any person who may solicit or require it, they will die before they fail in their trust. Their usual habi tations are Ghedans or tents, made of black felt or coarse blanket, stretched over a frame of wicker work, formed from the branches of the tamarisk. An assemblage of these 4hedans constitutes a Toomun or village, and the inhabitants of it a Kheil or society, of which there may be an unlimited number in one tribe. These kheils are commonly discriminated by some appropriate title, such as the kheil, the Noble Society, Daodei kheil, David's Society, &c. - These titles, however, they frequently change with their places of residence. Some of the Beloo ches, particularly ,the Nharooe clans, prefer mud houses to tents, and even live in forts; nor is it un common, in the western parts of Beloochistan, to find one half of the keil residing in ghedans and the other in huts. When a visitor arrives at a tootnun,_ a carpet is spread in front of the door of the Mihman Khanu, or house for guests, of which every village has one ; the Sirdar or head of the kheil immedi ately appears, and he and the stranger having em braced, and mutually kissed hands, the followers of the latter successively approach, and the Birder gives them his hand, which they press to their foreheads and lips. The parties then sit down, on which the chief addresses the stranger, and asks him, four several times, how he does, to which the other an swers in the usual complimentary terms ; he then inquires, in the same manner, for his family and friends, and even for the health of his followers who are present, to whom the visitor turns, as if to ap peal for information: they all nod assent to being in good health ; and the ceremony concludes by the new-comer making an equal number of inquiries for the welfare of the family, kheil or society, followers and friends of the sirdar.
The food of the Belooches consists of wheaten and barley cakes, rice, dates, cheese, and milk, which last they prefer in a sour state ; soup made from dholl or peas, and seasoned with red pepper and other heating herbs, and flesh-meat whenever they can procure it. The vegetables most esteemed by them are onions, garlic, and the leaves and stalk of the assafcetida plant, which they roast or stew in butter. They usually limit themselves to one or two wives, and their chiefs to four ; but this depends altogether upon choice. They treat their women with atten tion and respect, and are not so scrupulous about their being seen by strangers as most other Moosul mans. They keep a great number of slaves of both sexes, captured during their chupaos, who are treated with liberality and kindness. The common dress of the Belooches is a coarse white or blue calico shirt, buttoning round the neck, and reaching below the knee ; their trowsers are made of the same cloth, or a kind of striped stuff called Soosee, and puckered round the andes. On their heads they wear a small silk or cotton quilted cap, fitted to the shape of the skull, over which, when in full dress, they place a turband, either checked or blue, and a kummurbund or sash, of the same colour, round their waists. In winter, the chiefs and their relatives appear in a tu nic of chintz, lined and stuffed with cotton • and the poorer classes, when out of doors, wrap themselves up in a surtout made of cloth, manufactured from a mixture of goats' hair and sheep's wool. The wo men's dress is very similar to that of the men ' • their trowsers are preposterously wide, and made of silk, or a mixture of silk and cotton. A Belooche sol dier carries a matchlock, sword, spear, dagger, and shield, besides a multiplicity of powder-flasks, prim ing-horns and pouches. They are all capital marks
men, and in battle avoid, as much as possible, coming to close combat. Their best warlike weapons are of foreign manufacture. At Kelat, there is an armoury for the manufacture of matchlocks, swords, and spears; but the workmanship is very indifferent.
The principal amusements of the Belooches are shooting, hunting, and coursing ; for which latter purpose they bestow a vast deal of attention in the training of their greyhounds. Firing at marks, cud gelling, wrestling, and throwing the spear, are like wise favourite diversions among them, and neigh bouring kheils frequently cope with each other at these exercises. Their funeral and marriage cere being in a great measure such as are pre scribed and regulated by the Koran, are similar to those of all other Moosulmans, and therefore merit no particular notice. With regard to religion, the Belooches are, with a very few exceptions to the westward, Soonee Moosulmans.
The Brahooes, or second great class of the natives of' Beloochistan, are a still more unsettled and wan dering nation than the Belooches. They reside in one part of the country during the summer, and emigrate to another for the winter season ; and even change their immediate places of abode ninny times in the year, for the sake of pasturage for their flocks. The Brahooes are distinguished for activity, strength, and hardiness ; inured alike to the cold of the mountainous regions of Beloochistan, and the heat of the low plain of Kutch Gundava. They are very laborious in husbandry, and other domestic oc cupations; and those who reside in the vicinity of the plains to the southward of Kelat, cultivate large tracts of land, and dispose of the produce for exportation to the Hindoos of Kelat, Bela, and Khoz dar. This, and the sale of the cheese and ghee made from the flocks, with a few coarse blankets, carpets, and felts, constitute their only traffic. They are famous for having voracious appetites, and devour a great quantity of flesh in a half dressed state, without bread, salt, or vegetables. The Brahooes are as faithful in adherence to their promises, and as hospitable as the Belooches : They are more quiet and industrious ; and although they are esteem ed superior to the other inhabitants of Beloochistan from that system of rapine and violence pursued by their neighbours. A Brahooe always dresses in the same style ; whether it be summer or winter, his whole clothing consists of • a loose white shirt, a pair of trowsers of the same texture, and a felt cap. The shepherds sometimes wear a covering of white felt, made so as to wrap round the body, and,come to a peak above the crown of the head ; this habit is used as a defence against rain or snow. The do mestic life of the Brahooes is extremely simple: The men employ themselves in field labour, in which, if necessary, they are assisted by the women ; but in general the latter are engaged in attending to the household affairs. The dress of the women consists of a long shift and pair of trowsers, both of cotton cloth; and after they arrive at the age of puberty ; they wear over the former a kind of stays, made to lace behind, and decorated in front with ridiculous devices of birds or animals, worked in coloured worsted, In religion, the Brahooes are all Soonnitte Moossulmans. All their tribes intermarry with each other, except the Kumburanees, regarding whom there is a peculiarity which does not attach to any of the other tribes ; that of being divided into three distinct gradations of rank, the Ahmedzgees, Khanees, and Kumburanees. The first consists of the family of theprince; the Khanees are of the secondary rank, of whom there are between twenty and thirty ; and the Kumburanees include the remainder of the tribe ; although, in general, the term is applied to the whole body.