an uncommon viitim among fome mongrel Hindoos. Mr.
HodgesizAV the head o f one cutoff and flung upon the altar,
at a grand facrifice performed by the wild mountaineers, in a
diftrift not far from fort Bidjegur in Babar * . I have another
inftance among the wild inhabitants o f the Garrow hills, in the
north-eaft of Bengal. There the hen, as well as the cock, is
facrificed. Among thofe people it makes part of the nuptial
ceremony 1»
T he agreeable Bernier, iv. 119, gives an inftance o f perfe-
verance o f a fair widow, whom no perfuafions could move from
this horrid a6t of felf devotion. The account is fo well told,
and the ceremonies fo minutely related, that I cannot forbear
giving it in the words o f the ingenious writer ; “ When I was
“ palling from Amadevad to Agra, over the lands of the Rajabs
“ that are in thofe parts, there came news to us in a burrough
where the Caravane refted under the fhade (flaying for the
“ cool o f the evening to march on. in their journey), that a
j§ certain woman was then upon the point of burning herfelf
“ with the body o f her huiband. I prefently rofe, and ran to
“ the place where it was to be done, which was a great pit,
“ with a pile o f wood raifed in it, whereon I faw laid a dead
if corpfe, and a woman, which at a diftance feemed to me pretty
“ fair, fitting near it on the fame pile, befides four or five Brab-
“ mins putting the fire to it from all fides,; five women of a
“ middle age, and well enough drefled, holding one another by
“ the hand, and dancing about the pit, and a great crowd of
■* fjodges’s Travels, p. 91. • t Afiatic Refearches, i. p. 27.
g « people,
“ people, men and women, looking on. The pile o f wood was
“ prefently all on fire, becaufe. fiore of oil and butter had been
“ thrown upon it; and I faw at the fame time through the
“ flames, that the fire took hold of the cloaths of the woman
“ that were imbrued with well-fcented oils, mingled with
“ powder o f fantal and faffron. All this I faw, but obferved
“ not that the woman was at all difturbed, yet it was faid that
“ ihe had been heard to pronounce with great force thefe two
“ words, f i v e , tw o , to fignify, according to the opinion of
H thofe that hold the foul’s tranfmigration, that this was the
“ f i f t h time ille had burnt herfelf with the fame huiband,
“ and that there remained but two times for perfection, as i f
“ ihe had at that time this remembrance, or iome prophetical
“ fpirit. But here ended not this infernal tragedy, I thought
“ it was only by way of ceremony, that thefe five women
“ fung and danced about the pit; but I was altogether fur-
“ prifed, when I faw that the flame having taken hold o f the
“ cloaths of one of them, ihe caft herfelf with her head fore-
“ moft into the pit; and that after her another, being over-
“ come by the flame and fmoak, did the like. And my aftoniih-
fj ment redoubled afterwards, when I faw that the remaining
“ three took one another again by the hand, continued their
“ dance, without any apparent fears, and that at length they
“ precipitated themfelves one after the other into the fire, as
“ their companions had done. It troubled me fufflciently that
“ I knew not what that meant; but I learnt Ihortly after that
“ thefe had been five Haves, who having feen their miftrefs
“ extremely