The Red Cloud chief., 1888-09-07
FOOD FOB VULTURES.

FOOD FOB
AlEeehodiss Missionary Describes
. Strange Burial Rite.
01aV The Psrsees Dispose ol the Dodlss 81
Ihsir Doad-Flowors for the Earth and
Bones Sor tho Air-Tho House Of
Prayer md he Priests.
There recently returned to this city 2
Methodist missionary who t~wenty-three
leors ago sailed from these shores for
Little says the ~Philadeiphis Rsss. Thu
alher day no visited Laurel Hill, and there.
lneug the monuments and graves, he told
bout tho sacred bur!al-place OF the Psrsee
}DeAa upon the heights Of Malabar Hill. some
VjStaase out Of Bombay.
had heard % much about the Towers
o. Silence" he said. "that my curiosity
ms aroused to know whist it was like. But
GSoon found that It was impossible Tor ono
Gbt . follower of the great prophet 70
coaster to ever gain admittance inside OF
chess towers.
"This strange sect. the Parsees," he con.
fiDUed. "arc 80 scrupulous in their cere-
om0nisls and customs, and 90 strict in the
Observance Of their rites, that you can
0eadily see how reluctant they would be 70
allow IN outsider. especially one who was
teaching tho doctrines Of Chfist. to observe
The ritual they practice.
81 had been tho mean Of rendefing Q
favor to IN intelligent end wel-educated
$PArsee gentleman living In Bombay, b.
tween whom and myself there sprang up
quite = feeling OF friendship. When I
Thought I could safely make my requestI
f.ade known to him my desire TO visit tho
tTowers.s He aaid he would zee whether
he could obtain permission Tor me- frem he
priests who guarded he sacred portals.
thore the matter dropped. I did not hear
t.om him for soEe weeks, until one day b
came to M saying that permission had
been granted. and that We must be ready %
AtaSt the next morning.
81 shall never forget" continued be, s'tAe
net. cloudless dag that We drove IN our
closely curtained vehicle, n gharry, out Of
the dusty. noisy streets Of Bombay to tho
cecl and shaded aud silent place Of Malsbar
Hill. Tho whole place seemed a veritable
garden Of tho dead Aere jasmine, crimson
hibiscus and beautiful roses were spread in
6~euiderinS profusion about the walks
Leading to the entrance. The heavy,
ilrguid air va oiled with the most
fragrant odors and the sweetest per>
fumes. I cdnli hardly believe that I
va u = burying-ground. After alighting
(rcm the Rharry we assembled the low, stone
A9ep.. which led to . closed iron gate. Ny
Giead showed our permission to tho old and
Uene-ablo Psrsee. wto threw open the gate,
0pd within . tew moments we were within
10 sacred precincts. One Of the first things
hat l noticed Is / g3,ed around was some
Ire o. SIX SOLID looking circular buildings,
germans eighteen or twenty feet in height
b walls Of these structures were built Of
heavy blocks Of stone and covered with .
6nd Of white cement Or plaster. The build
lpgs themselves stood in Q shallow moat,
surrounded by tall palm trees, heavy bushes
of various kinds. ard herbaSe growing wild
Gpd uncultivate6. ~iese, then, were the
0mous Tower. o. Silence Truly, they
Wcro well named. Save for the clicking OF
q shoes on the smooth stone, the fitful
ENxayir: to AID sro CT the branches Of the
eAll palms, and tho occasional Tapping Of
wings b. Crows and vult0rcs On the trees,
got q sonnd was heard in the lansuid, breath
S$ss air. The he: tropical sun beat heavily
down on the baro white walls, and every
0here stiffness and silence reigDed SUI
Weme."
"How do the PArsees bury their dead"
When you reach the top Of the Tower
you will find that the entire circular surface
B divided into three smaller circles, and DO
0veen each circle is q harrow pathway. The
circles are again di-:1edinto 9 great number
of small, shallow; STAGES, or receptacles, as
ny friend called them. also separated by
aarrow pathways foc the bearers ofthe body
eDpass. The top Of the Tower is sur
sounded by q sort Of parape;, which hides
Che surface from outside view. Now comes
lhe strange part CT the Parsee burial Gus
lom. 1t was the teaching Of our great
prophet and nastcr,' said my companion,
ethat the dead Should not deEIe the earth.
Accordingly, no dcad Parsee is Laid in the
earth, but his body Is exposed to all the
fowls of the air, TO moro quickly return to
Ghc dust and the elements frcn which it
cane. Here in the center of Our Tower
You sec q deep well, down which We pu: TO-
8ether tho dry bones of all the dead-me2,
women and children, rich and poor, great
9nd small. For the dead there Can only be
equality
House Of Praycc-a low, stonc-arched build
~ 80 S& 0AOVAA. xul - SUC
house where the friends of the deceased re-
main while the body is placed On the Tow
ar 1t is here that the sacred fire burns
day and night, year in and year cut, always
Catched bya faithful priest whose duty is
@ feed the flames with precious woods. The
mir in this House CT Prayer is thus redolent |
Eith the punsent aroma Of Sandal wood.
1hc corpsc-5eaTo-s live separate from the
outer residence, and after each funeral they |
60 to the bathing house, change their gar
1ents, and purify themselves from the de-
Element Of having touched the dead. Just
3 we were on the point of taking our leave !
Isaw a small procession of whi.e-robed fig
ures nlarcaing over the marrow stone bridge |
p one of the Towers and disappear IN the |
quail square opening in the wall.
"My companion must hayo seen the pro-
SESSION, for I noticed that his whole de-
Peanor perceptihiy changed as with bowed
fead he told M that a burial would take
viace only at sunrise or at sunset. Sudden
Il the place seemed to be sstir with Life /
ald motion. The tall palms shock as under !
Scust of wind. Tn black bodies on the |
fees. hitherto Eotion!ess. raised their
(cads, spreSd out their wings, and, with a |
vhir and = vyhiz, swooped down like ayeng-