The southern sentinel. (Winnfield, La.) 1883-1910, 1886-08-13

along the Ganges the Jogis are not
buried, but thrown into the river. and
in proof of this fact showed me further
on two stone collins, boxes about four
feet square of strong slabs OF freestone,
empty now, but ready to receive the
bodies Of two Jogis. These men had
hrophesied their own death at an early
day. When they died they would be
crammed into these stone boxes and
sunk deep into the Ganges.
Returning to the Burning Chat, Isaw
that they had heaped wood into two
square masses about eight feet long and
four wide and high. At the edge of the
river the bodies they were going to burn
lay covered with sheets on rope bed
steads, half in and half out of the water.
Two white-haired Brahmans officiated;
the corpse may not be touched by any
other hand than theirs. They had re-
moved all clothing but waistcloth. and
their gaunt, withered forms and callous,
immobile faces seemed appropriate to
the syark they had to do. When they
dtoiled the wood to their satisfaction,
they, threw the sheet from one of the
bodies-that of q man as old as them
selves, and dragged it carelessly. as one
may drag log of wood, and threw it
on the pyre. Owing to its long soaking
in the water its rightly was gone, and
it fell in q limp mass, one arm, however,
gradually sinking down on one side
with CHASTITY mimicry Of life. They
piled more wood on the poor dishon-
ored corpse, and then the daughter OF
the dead man, q woman wholly shroud-
ed in . great white veil. rose from
where she had been sitting unperceived.
She lifted her veil and showed q color
less face of the pale yellow Brahman
complexion, and shining head just
shaved in token Of mourning. "Hail
to the fire of the funeral pile. "
she said. and walking three
times round it carrying q wisp
Of lighted grass in her hand, she
set fire to the wood. Then she threw in
. handful of sesame-seed and poured
little saucers Of oil and ghee upon the
growing flames, and returning to her
place sat down quietly and covered her
head again. One of the Brahmans now
sprinkled little earth and few drops
Of water on the fire, and marched round
and round it rapidly muttering words
which could not understand, nor could
he. think it was the ancient Sanskrit
Farewell to the Dead that he was
saying, but it was only q form to him,
and he could have had little perception
of the pathetic grandeur Of the words he
was Cabling SO carelessly. go, o
Man, unto the Earth, the wide and holy
Earth. And do thou, O Earth. receive
him as friend with sweet greeting;
gather him pitifully to thy bosom; en-
fold him as mother wraps her child in
her robe. "
..Here now it is bad fragrance. said
Srishti, IS the smoke rolled our way and
brought bitter smell of burning flesh
with it Even the lean dogs recognized
it, and awakening from their drowsi-
ness rose and shifted the 'sbad fragrance"
with glittering eyes. The Brahmans
seemed to like it too, the old vultures,
crouched down close to the fire and
talked with something like cheerfulness.
The girl sat apart quite motionless, hid
don BY her veil. A little later one Of
the old men rose, and went to another
great FIRE which must have been burn
ing there for several hours. ! had for
gotten that this too must contain q
corpse, and was the more shocked
when, raking with his staff in the
embers, he exposed . naked skull, part
Of it scorched, part cleaning white.
Raising his stick he deliberately shat
tered this relic of mortality with .
heavy blow, and covering it up once
more with the hot Goals. returned to his
seat. The people had now formed .
staring. laughing, unfeeling ring about
the performers. At the high palace
windows above could see the faces Of
women looking down; this was their
dissipation. poor prisoners; rather an
old story to them, but still amusing.
The newly-ighted funeral PIE blazed
higher and higher. the wide yellow beach
and the sunny fields beyond the river
danced with the quivering OF the hot
air rising from it The other had now
burned low, and 1t last the two Brah-
mans came to it prepared for work. /
hid hoped that there would be nothing
worse here than the little white bones
that turned up occasionally ~ they drew
the brands away and swept aside the
6AOWluk 0CAkCSs Oub Id Se6uGO I086
there had not been wood enough to
consume the body entirely. For, as
Keats says of . somewhat similar search,
at last they found the kernel of the
grave" and q horrible mass OF some
thing half charred came to the surface
and was tossed into the water. Abroad
full odor Of death filed all the place,
and accompanied by q clamorous crowd
Of kites and crows that wretched rem
nant Of what had once been . fellow
being floated down the river.
This, however, was not the end; after
the tragedy came the farce. The two
men grew less apathctic, and worked
with : certain eagerness. They took
away al the larger cinders and the
sticks, and then began
water on the remaining heap
81 ashes This w1s gradually carried
sway by the stream Of water, and when
& was mostly gone they began search
ing ~ rag picker searches in dust
heap. It seemed that tho body had been
that Of woman. According to custom,
she had been burned with all her brace
lots and bangles ON her arms and
ankles and these were tho perquisites