SURATTE. 1750. 181 



obliged to follow her husband into the fire. 

 If we confider the great number of corpfes that 

 are burnt, it muft neceffarily follow that many 

 thoufand of Gentoos live in Suratu. They 

 have likewife Santons, or living faints, who dif- 

 tinguifh themfelves from the multitude, and 

 endeavour to make themfelves pleafmg to 

 Ram and his brothers, by their ridiculous be- 

 haviour. Thofe fellows which Bernier has 

 defcribed and painted in all forts of conftrain- 

 ed poftures, I have not feen ; but you fre- 

 quently meet with fome who walk about more 

 than half naked, and twill their long hair 

 about their head in form of a turban, which 

 muft be very troublefome in this country. I 

 once faw a novice of this order, begging in a 

 very fingular way. He placed himfelf before 

 a fhop, where he did nothing but ftamp againfl 

 the ground, and after he had very patiently 

 lifted up and fet down one foot afcer another, 

 he quietly devoured the victuals he had re- 

 ceived. It is peculiar that the hair of thefe fel- 

 lows grows pale and turns ftraw- coloured; but 

 I believe that they make it fo by art ; for thofe 

 Mahometan Santons who do not cut their hair 

 preferve their black complexions, and have be- 

 fides the advantage that they look like devils of 

 the firft order, for their hair ftands an end like 

 N 3 a juniper 



