A SUTTEE. 
97 
sacrifice; — she stood before us an image of mute but 
agonized despair. 
The officiating Bramins, seeing that it was time 
to urge the consummation of this detestable oblation,, 
and fearing lest she should relent, commanded all 
her relatives, friends and attendants, to retire. In a 
few moments a large area was left around the pile, 
within which stood no one save the unhappy victim 
and her sanctified executioners. Before the area was 
cleared, one of these smooth-browed monsters had 
forcibly taken the child from the mother’s arms and 
given it to an attendant, unheedful of the cries of the 
one or the agonies of the other. The widow — and 
now did she indeed appear beautiful — knowing what 
was to succeed, gave way to the struggles of nature, 
fell on her knees, raised her eyes towards heaven, 
and clasped her hands in a transport of speechless 
anguish. One of the Bramins approached her with 
an air of calm but stem authority, raised her from 
her recumbent position, then with the assistance of 
a companion equally stern and unfeeling, violently 
urged her towards the pile. She struggled, and the 
energy with which despair had armed her enabled 
her successfully to resist the united efforts of those 
sleek high-priests of the altar of a most infernal su- 
perstition. Upon seeing this, several of these cruel 
functionaries rushed forward and dragged her towards 
the faggots, which were well smeared with ghee* in 
order to accelerate their combustion — a contingent 
mercy arising out of the policy of securing a speedy 
termination to the suttee’s sufferings, as, the quicker 
* Clarified butter, made from the milk of the buffalo. 
K 
