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SCENES TN INDIA. 
bustibles underneath, his eyes the while directed 
towards heaven, dropped the vessel of water on the 
ground as soon as he heard the crackling of the flames, 
then darted off as if he had been pursued by some 
malignant spirit. The fire kindled with great rapi- 
dity ; in a few moments the body was enveloped 
in flames which burned so ardently that it was 
shortly consumed. The pyre had been previously 
strewed with unguents and other inflammable sub- 
stances, in order to accelerate this solemn conclusion 
of the funeral ceremony. Letting fall the water-vessel 
is an ancient superstitious test never, I believe, 
omitted on these melancholy occasions. The idea of 
this credulous people is, that if it does not break 
in falling, another of the family will die before the year 
expires ; but that if it breaks — and this seldom fails 
to happen, from the violence with which they let it 
fall — the family is secure from such a calamity. 
The moment the torch is applied to the pile, the 
party upon whom it devolves to perform this part of 
the ceremony rushes from the spot to the nearest 
tank, into which he instantly plunges, in order as 
soon as possible to purify himself from the contamina- 
tion which he is supposed to have imbibed from so 
near a contact with a corpse. With somewhat less 
celerity, but following close upon his steps, the rest of 
the mourners on this occasion repaired to the same 
tank, where they also underwent the customary puri- 
fications. The body being consumed, the ashes were 
carefully collected and deposited in a large earthen jar, 
there to remain until an opportunity should offer of 
casting them upon the sacred waters of the Ganges, 
