377 



Ehaut, stopped a few hours to rest my people at the entrance of 

 the Baroche purgunna, and reached home in safety early the next 

 morning, where I related the late events at Dhuboy, and especially 

 the prognostics of the brahmins respecting the Gracias, as totally 

 without foundation. But when some hours had elapsed, without 

 tidings of my servants and effects, nor the appearance of a horse- 

 man, I became alarmed. My suspense was not of long duration, 

 for on looking anxiously towards the road, I saw a sort of funeral 

 procession moving towards our garden-house, accompanied by the 

 yells of female mourners, more dismal than any I had ever heard. 

 It consisted of a mingled group of Mahomedans, Hindoos, and 

 Parsees, a sight very unusual at an Indian funeral. There was a 

 Mahomedan mosque and burying-ground near our villa, which 

 they passed, and moved on immediately towards the garden gate. 

 We now distinguished several different biers ; on the foremost lay 

 the headless body of my cavalry officer, followed by the violent 

 exclamations of Mahomedan women. Another set brought ths 

 dead body of a Parsee servant, almost cut to pieces: others car- 

 ried dead and wounded Hindoos of different descriptions, on the 

 village cots. These they placed in the garden under our front 

 veranda, and immediately renewed their dreadful lamentations. 



When we could obtain silence, I learnt from the survivors, that 

 about an hour after I crossed the bed of the river, my people and 

 effects arrived at the fatal spot, where they were suddenly sur- 

 rounded by upwards of three hundred armed Gracias,. on horse- 

 back, and four hundred on foot, who immediately attacked 

 my small party with the most savage barbarity, cut down the 

 cavalry officer, killed a Parsee servant and several of my atlcnd- 



VOL. III. 3 c 



