INDIA. 329 



chips are made of stable manure mixed with rice straw. 

 In the soft state, they arc attached to walls and the 

 outside of houses, where they are dried in the sun, and 

 are used extensively as fuel. They are the prototype 

 of the "buffalo chips" of our western prairies. The 

 ground was first covered with several layers of these 

 chips over an area a little in excess of the width and 

 length of the corpse; pieces of dry wood were then laid 

 across. (Fig- 63.) The body was then prepared by 

 the brother; the highly colored cloth was removed; the 

 face was wrapped in a cloth and was never exposed 

 while the brother washed it with water dipped from 

 the nearby Jumna. Next the glass bracelets were 

 broken with a piece of wood. The body, in a cheap, 

 well-worn calico dress, was placed on the layer of wood 

 and, lastly, chips were piled on all sides and over the 

 corpse. A small bundle of dry brush was then pur- 

 chased, for four annas, and distributed over the sides 

 and top of the small mountain of chips. A handful 

 of rice straw was then taken from the litter, twisted 

 into a torch, ignited by one of the old men, swung by 

 the brother until it burned in a bright flame, and with 

 this the dry brush was set afire at the head of the corpse. 

 The breeze was in the right direction, and in a few mo- 

 ments the entire pile was ablaze, the chips caught fire 

 and soon the odor of burning flesh escaped with the 

 smoke. It was at this stage of the cremation that I 

 was as anxious to leave as I had been at first to wit- 

 ness it. We left the mourning party jabbering, laugh- 

 ing, smoking and looking lazily and unfeelingly into 

 the smouldering fire maintained by the chips. During 

 our stay, the ashes of the two corpses previously cre- 

 mated were thrown into the Jumna Eiver. On a knoll 

 overlooking the river a Brahmin priest was perched, 

 awaiting the funeral procession of a corpse attended 

 by mourners who could pay him for his priestly func- 

 tions. He did nothing for the poor young woman whose 

 corpse was now being devoured by the smouldering 



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