102 THIRTY-FIVE YEARS IN THE EAST. 



last fatal walk, which she took to her funeral pile, that I 

 could behold her. The funeral train, accompanied by many 

 thousands of spectators, was now proceeding; all were on foot, 

 their abode in the fortress not being far distant from the 

 place of the ceremony. The four ranees only were carried, 

 in open palanquins, behind the deceased, after them followed 

 the seven female slaves, barefooted ; some of them appeared 

 to be not more than fourteen or fifteen years of age. The 

 ranees, too, were barefooted, their silk dresses were simple, 

 and without any ornaments, and they appeared to h>e 

 indifferent to the awful though voluntary fate which awaited 

 them. Perhaps our hearts throbbed more at the view 

 of this dismal train than those of the poor victims them- 

 selves. The body of Runjeet Sing was placed on a board, 

 to which it was probably fastened, and was carried on a 

 light and decorated bier constructed in the shape of a 

 ship ; the sails and flags of the vessel were made of rich 

 golden and silk stuff (^kimkab), and of Cashmere shawls. 

 A number of people carried the bier from the interior 

 of the fortress up to the funeral-pile, there the board 

 with the body was taken out of it and deposited on the 

 ground, where, on what was a small garden, now stands a 

 summood, i. e., a tomb of the royal family Runjeet Sing, 

 Kurruck Sing and No-Nehal Sing, L e., the father, son, and 

 grand-child, together with their wives and slaves. The 

 costly ornaments of the richly decorated bier were given 

 to the mob ; the Brahmins performed their prayers from 

 the Shaater, a book written in the Indian or Sanscrit 

 language ; the Gooroos, or priests of the Sikhs, did the same, 

 from their holy scripture called Grunthsaheb,* and the Mussel- 

 men accompanied them with their "Ya, Allah ! Ya, Allah I" 

 A slow, but not displeasing rumbling of the drums, and toe 

 murmuring of the people, gave to the whole scene a 

 melancholy aspect, and was peculiar to the country. The 

 funeral pile which displayed itself before the eyes of the 

 spectators, was constructed of dry woods, amongst which 



* Griinth is the holy book of Baba-Nanuk. 



