The record-union., 1895-09-21

/ ecstatical rawlings from ten thousand
throats, all simultaneously and executed
with all possible fervor-these are the
| preliminaries of the gruesome spectacle
known as the firewalk of the Hindoos,
which took place at Mauritius, in the In
dian Ocean, recently described by Eu-
gene Wolff in foreign periodical.
81 had stayed expressly to SEQ H." he
writes, being persuaded to do so by the
glaring advertisements of the railroad
companies that ran special excursions to
Pittrebooth Mountain, at the southern
slope OF which the lava was to be spread.
It's humbug, OF course, L said to my
SELF The genuine firewalk has long been
abandoned. They will will give US a fake
show with the aid of Chinese fire. These
clever Hindoos and the English company
which presented them with steam cars, as
usual Will reap the benefit.
but thoughts of the unreality of the
thing vanished quickly as / neared the
rOped arena OF tauaticism. Tho racecOurSe
strewn with live Goals and separated
from the highway by stout ropes is
| twenty-One feet broad from the entrance
| to the Elm bankment of the rivulet, where
| the priests are stationed with the pots OF
ointment and healing salves. AS ap-
| preached the tribune the caretalers had
just finished the work OF spreading the
| red glowing charcoals over every inch OF
the allotted ground, for IN order that the
sacrifice be complete there must be no
| break in the chain OF seli-inticted hor-
| rOrs.
"rhe charcoal had been obtained by
! charrng an immense pile of wood and
distributing its contents, while yet ablaZe.
over the track on the mountain side, the
! firemen being Hindoo priests and adopts.
Now they drew up in front OF the scat
fold. where l, with others, was putting
! civilization to shame, and viewed their
work. The imaginary road TO heaven
| they had built was one mass OF red nre,
! that swayeG to and fro with the vibration
! OF It's own heat. The priests contem-
| plated the horizontal pyre with satisfied
! looks, paying no attention to the burns
received in the work. Three or four OF
the old men had lost their sandals In pre-
! pairing the lava bed. The hair, eyebrows
! and boards OF all were singed or partially
! burned oil.
The heat of the atmosphere was terri
! BILE ana, com bined with that enanating
! from the fiery road, almost unbearabie.
| | wore an Indian terai hat consisting OF
two thick felt hats, one spread over the
other, and In addition guarded my eyes
| by sunshade doubly lined, but not
withstanding, my head burned as with
fever, while tears rolled from my eyes
| necessarily. There l sat prisoner, not
/ TWO feet from the lava bed, held captive
on the other side by u surglng mass OF
! 10000 sightseers. who grew more excited
every second, while at the same time
their ranks were swelled by newcomers
/ on OK carts. mules, on foot and by rail.
aside from myself and two other
! Europeans no one IN the vast crowd
seemed to mind the poisonous vapors
/ arising from the lava; they got into my
/ lungs and soon caused nose bleeding and
Intense pain in the head and eyes. ct l
/ had TO sit still and await the horrible
! ceremonies which The railroads had ad-
vertised circus fashion and which, for
| that very reason, | had thought to be q
! chimeTa OF the past brought back to un-
real lie for money getting purposes.
"a as, there 10 the procession formed
| before my eyes by subjects of her British
majesty-De1enGer of the Faith, as she
calls herself. First, gang OF a half
hundred urchlns OF both sexes, naked
| 1ut for the flowers in their hair. They
sing aud dance, filling the air with ex-
carnations OF JOY and agile arms and
/ legs. Then follow the music, kettle
| drums, gougs, clappeTs and castanets,
the orchestra dividing upon arriving at
/ the show place and taking positions on
! both sides OF the lava bed, half dozen OF
! them being kind enough to place them
selves between me and the iiery oven.
| surprise upon surprised The white
! helmet of a dozen police officers under a
! Lieutenant appear marching at the head
! OF the natives Two are lett to guard the
! tribune for distinguished foreigners, the
rest form a Gordon alongside the lava bed,
ito maintain discipline" as the Lieu"
| tenant expressed 1t.
! wearing only thin linen cloth about
/ their IONS, the long, black hair lOosened
and falling upon the shoulders, garlands
| of flowers and greens around the fore
! head, neck and breast. IN both hands
/ they carry large flower pieces, holding
them alott as offerings to Heaven. Their
/ eyes are liked upon lhe setting sun, they
walk slowly and deliberately in single
| file one after the other, paying no atten-
! ton TO their surroundings.
Now the first enters upon the firewalk
| without altering his gait in the least,
moving tardily, mechanically; he is fol-
! lowed by others IN the same manner; the
J glowing charcoal sewers skin and flesh
| from the bones OF their naked feet, singes
their locks, brows and eyebrows.
"A horrible spectacle! The eyes of the
poor, deluded fanatics protrude from
their sockets: the muscles OF the lace con-
tract. they lock their teeth, their bodies
sway III painful convulslons. Twelve,
! fifteen times they must sink their feet in
the bed of fire, then to fall into the arms
of the priests standing ready to receive
them at the rIvulet.
IF my eyes have not betrayed me the
majority of the lire walker were half
unconscious with pain upon reaching
the en- bankment. They had to be dragged
down into the Shiny water, where their
feet were bathed and treated to a coat OF
ointment. After little while they
seemed TO have momentarily recovered,
only to become subject to another lit OF
religious delirium.
''Nirvana they call it. a condition which,
according to the buddhist doctrine, pre-
suDposes the total extinction of desire,
passion and unrest, a state to which the
professors OF Buddhism aspire as the
highest aim of life.
"'Nirvana." they cry, 'Nirvana,' and,
though hardly able to use their feet
these uniortunates drag themselves
/ back to the entrance of the lava bed sing
/ ing and shouting. Their appearance is
! slckening. From their bleeding feet
! and ankles hangs the flesh in shreds;
! their bodies are covered with blotcheS
and dust. The mass of sightseers, how
/ ever feels no mercy; all those people adj
here to the Nirvana theory, and though
most Of them are too cowardly to undergo
! the torture themselves, their religious
( spirits rise at seeing others do so.
/ "They applaud wildly, encourage the
! musicians TO new exertions, and bring
! their children ana women to beg the
! fire walkers to make another trial for
/ their sake. The men readily respond,
/ for while they suffer physical pain their
/ imagination leads them to believe they
are in paradise. Twice. three times
some brave the flames: two of the latter
! fall on their knees after walking half the
distance, and for moment | think they
will roast to death. But the fanatic
shouting of the onlookers makes the
/ IIindoo oet mn and com nlefa the terri hi a