A body of Pardhis are sometimes employed by all the cultivators of a
village jointly for the purpose of watching the spring crops during
the day and keeping black-buck out of them. They do this perhaps
for two or three months and receive a fixed quantity of grain. The
Takankars are regularly employed as village servants in Berar and
travel about roughening the stones of the household grinding-mills
when their surfaces have worn smooth. For this they receive an annual
contribution of grain from each household. The caste generally have
criminal tendencies and Mr. Sewell states, that "The Langoti Pardhis
and Takankars are the worst offenders. Ordinarily when committing
dacoity they are armed with sticks and stones only. In digging through
a wall they generally leave a thin strip at which the leader carefully
listens before finally bursting through. Then when the hole has been
made large enough, he strikes a match and holding it in front of him
so that his features are shielded has a good survey of the room before
entering.... As a rule, they do not divide the property on or near
the scene of the crime, but take it home. Generally it is carried by
one of the gang well behind the rest so as to enable it to be hidden
if the party is challenged." In Bombay they openly rob the standing
crops, and the landlords stand in such awe of them that they secure
their goodwill by submitting to a regular system of blackmail. [417]