26 
SCENES IN INDIA. 
as if in prayer. The surface of the water was unruffled, 
except where it was disturbed by the motions of his 
body, and seemed an apt emblem of that apathy with 
which those ministers of a sanguinary religion looked 
upon an act of detestable suicide. 
The man made several efforts to fill the jars, using 
the most deliberate exertions to accomplish his abo- 
minable sacrifice. Finding that he could not succeed, 
he at length drew himself to the bank, seized the root 
of a shrub which was partially bared, and, bending 
forward, succeeded in turning the mouth of one of the 
jars towards the stream and filling it. This only 
served to lengthen the dreadful process of death ; for 
the other jar being empty prevented him from sinking, 
whilst that which was full drew him sufficiently under 
water to obstruct his breathing. In his struggles, how- 
ever, he continually rose and partially recovered, only 
again to be half-suffocated. Although this continued 
for several minutes, the wretched man never once at- 
tempted to get out of the river ; on the contrary, his 
determination to die was evident to the last moment. 
Seeing that his struggles were likely to continue, I 
called out to the Brahmins to break the empty jar ; 
but those haughty functionaries did not condescend to 
notice my expostulations. At length, one of the by- 
standers, more merciful than his priests, dashed a 
stone upon the empty vessel, and the wretched victim 
sank ,* a few bubbles rose to the surface, and the water 
flowed over him, without leaving a visible memorial 
of that superstitious tragedy. This man was of the 
weaver caste, and I heard it said that his wife had 
expressed an anxious desire to die a suttee ; but as 
