THE DOON 259 



or place where a Mahomedan wife had been thus im- 

 molated at the funeral of her husband. The Emperor 

 expresses his horror and indignation at the proceeding ; 

 his indignation was the greater on account of the 

 extreme youth of the victim. The wife who was thus 

 sacrificed was, the Emperor learnt, of no more than 

 twelve years of age. 



The incident caused the Emperor to make further 

 inquiries, and he ascertained, to his surprise and further 

 indignation, that the practice of suttee prevailed among 

 the Mahomedans in various other localities. 



The Emperor issued edicts prohibiting the practice 

 among Mahomedans under the severest penalties ; but, 

 nevertheless, the practice appears to have continued ; 

 it continued, indeed, till within less than half a century 

 of the commencement of our rule, for it is stated in the 

 histories that at the funeral of the celebrated Syud 

 Abdoolah at Delhi, about the year 1725 of our era, 

 several of his wives were burnt to do him honour. 

 Now Abdoolah, as a syud, or descendant of the Prophet, 

 was among Mahomedans an object of religious venera- 

 tion ; and, moreover, he held the very highest secular 

 rank, for he and his brother, under the title of ministers, 

 had been for some years the actual rulers of the 

 empire. 



I have spoken of the grandeur of the line of the 

 Himalaya as seen from the Doon, and the enormous 

 height to which the mountains appear to rise. I will 

 conclude this chapter with some further observations 

 on the subject. The impression of the height of the 

 mountains is the most striking when they come 



