A SUTTEE. 55 



Came suddenly forward, and closed around the gallows. 

 Several men detached themselves from these groups, and 

 rushing upon the suspended Thugs with long knives, ham- 

 strung them, or severed the tendon Achilles. This, we after- 

 wards learnt, was to prevent their ghosts from walking, and 

 continuing the same pursuits after death that they had 

 followed during their lives. 



I was invited to breakfast one morning with the amiable 

 and worthy Colonel of the Madras Rifle corps, and who was 

 also at that time the senior officer in command of the canton- 

 ment, when a servant intimated that a Hindoo female of 

 high caste wished to speak with him. Although at this 

 period the " suttee," or self-immolation of Hindoo widows, 

 was in full operation, yet it was ordered by the Governor in. 

 Council that in all divisions of the British army, previous 

 to the celebration of this ceremony, that it should be 

 necessary for the female to obtain the consent of the officer 

 commanding the place or division to her performing this act 

 of devotion. 



The object of this order was to enable him, if possible, by 

 advice and persuasion, to deter those unfortunate victims of 

 prejudice and superstition from carrying out their fatal 

 resolutions, but to which end I believe it was perfectly 

 useless. 



On this occasion a young and very handsome woman was 

 introduced, who simply stated that her husband, an old 

 Brahmin, was just dead, who inhabited the city of Jaulnah, 

 and that it was her wish and intention to perform " suttee," 

 or burn herself beside his body on an appointed day, and 

 that she had presented herself before the Colonel Sahib in. 

 accordance with the regulations she had been instructed to 

 observe. 



K s, who was as good and kind-hearted a man as ever 



lived, but no great orator or sophist, ran over the usual list 



