nual Faftings, and lying upon the parching hot Sand 
in the heat of the Sun, are fo lean, dry*d and wither d, 
that they look like Skeletons or Shadows, and one can 
fcarce perceive them to breathe, ' or feel their Pulfe 
beat. 
When any great man dyes amongft them, but efpeci- 
ally any of their Jogee's, or Saints,they make great pre- 
parations for their Funeral ^ the Corpfe is laid on its 
belly, and Salt and Rice laid round about it at every 
corner on the ground. Then the neareft Relations to 
the party dcceafed carry a pot of Water on their (boul- 
ders feveral times about the Funeral Pile, when they 
burn them, then breaking it in pieces, fpills the Water. 
Which Ceremony being ended, the Pile is fired, and 
then all the Relations begin to howl, and embrace one 
another, then wafhing themfelves in fome neighbour- 
ing River, they depart every one to his home ^ and as 
lor the remaining Afhes. if he be rich they gather them 
up, and caft them into the Ganges or the Sea. 
Sometimes it happens that the Wife ot the deceafed 
party, if (he have no Children, and be old, or ill to 
live in the world, v/ill burn herfelf with the dead bo- 
dy^ but this happens very feldom. It is faid, that in 
flich cafes the Bramines give the woman a ftupifying 
Liquor, which by the time that they are in the fire 
makes them fencelefs of any pain. 
To know into what Body the Soul of the Deceafed 
is tranfmigrated they do thus^ they ftrew the Afhes of 
the dead upon the place where he was firft laid after 
his death, and handfuls of odoriferous Flowers about 
the fame, and returning again in 44 hours, they judge 
by fome pretended impreffion or other in the Afhes, 
into what body it is gone : if the foot of an Horfe, or 
Dog,or Ox,or fuch like appear,then they certainly give 
out that it is gone into fuch like Creatures 5 but if no- 
tching appear, then they think it is certainly gone to the 
Starry Pvcgions. As^ 
