Fake

[A. S. fægan, to join.] ( Naut.) Any one of the circles formed by a cable or rope, as it lies in a coil. Fakir, (fa-keer',) n. [Ar. fakhar, poor.] A member of an order of mendicants or penitents existing in several parts of the Eastern world, particularly in India, who is synonymous with the Persian and Turkish dervish. Some of them live in communities, while others live singly, as hermits, or wander about, making strange displays of self-torture and mortification. Their appearance is filthy and disgusting in the extreme. They go about naked, frequently with their bodies besmeared with the dung of the holy cow, which excrement they also use for making fires, in lieu of wood. They sometimes unite in bands, carrying banners, and making a great noise with drums and horns. Some of them hold their arms up in one position for years (see Fig. 340) till they have lost the power of taking them down again; others bend the body forward, till they are unable to restore it to its natural position again; while others clench their fists till the nails grow through the hand, and others are perpetually lying down on beds of spikes (Fig. 985). Fig . 985. FAKIR ON A BED OF SPIKES. (Kerasis sect.) (From Gould's Oriental Drawings.) They usually take up their abode in shady places, either in the open air or in old and ruinous buildings, without say thing to repose on or to cover themselves. One weiter affirms that a member of this order should have ven of the qualities proper to the dog among which are, to be always hungry; to have no fixed residence; watch during the night; to leave no heritage after his death; not to abandon his master, although ill treated by him: to content himself with the lowest place, and to yield his seat to any one who wants it. It is estimated that there are not le than three millions of fakirs in India. Many of them are undoubtedly insane; but the greater part of them are impostors and hypocrites, and traverse the country begging and instructing credulous people in religion. It is dangerous both to his life and money for an unarmed person to meet them.