Of their method of living Malcolm wrote: [396] "I visited several
of the houses of this tribe at Shahjahanpur, where a colony of them
are settled, and was gratified to find not only in their apartments,
but in the spaciousness and cleanliness of their kitchens, in the
well-constructed chimney, the neatly arranged pantries, and the
polished dishes and plates as much of real comfort in domestic
arrangements as could be found anywhere. We took the parties we
visited by surprise and there could have been no preparation." The
Bohras do not charge interest on loans, and they combine to support
indigent members of the community, never allowing one of their caste
to beg. The caste may easily be known from other Muhammadans by their
small, tightly wound turbans and little skull-caps, and their long
flowing robes, and loose trousers widening from the ankle upwards and
gathered in at the waist with a string. The women dress in a coloured
cotton or silk petticoat, a short-sleeved bodice and a coloured cotton
head-scarf. When they go out of doors they throw a dark cloak over
the head which covers the body to the ankles, with gauze openings
for the eyes.