having
offended Rutrem, but, becoming sensible of his offence, desired to be
absolved. The favour was granted him, with the privilege of reducing
to ashes everything he laid his hands upon. The power with which he
was endowed proved his death. One day he went to the Ganges to bathe,
and, lifting his hand to his forehead, it reduced him to dust.

At their marriages, the Indians were very superstitious, and paid
great regard to omens. The consent of the parents being obtained, and
a fortunate day appointed, the parties met with the relations, when
the bridegroom threw three handfuls of rice on the head of the bride,
and she cast an equal quantity at him. Part of the marriage ceremony
consisted of the fathers of both bridegroom and bride putting a piece
of money and a small quantity of water into the bride's hand. This
being done, the bridegroom hung a ribbon, with a coin attached to it,
round her neck.

As soon as a man died, his beard was shaved, his body washed, lime put
into his mouth, and women rubbed his face with rice. When the body was
burned, the deceased's ashes were thrown into the Ganges, for the
water of that river was supposed to have a virtuous and holy influence
on whatever it touched. The Brahmins believed that there were five
different degrees of glory after death. Bruma, with his wife
Sarassuadi, was in the fourth state attended by a large swan, on which
he rode abroad, this god being supposed to be exceedingly fond of
travelling. None but the most innocent were exalted to the fifth seat
of glory.

Cows' dung was spread over the floors of Indian temples; and such was
the people's reverence for the cow, that when sacrificing they poured
milk on their altars. Their priests pretended that their gods had
oracles, by which they could foretell future events. When several
persons were suspected of stealing anything, and the guilty one could
not be discovered by ordinary means, the priests wrote the names of
the suspected persons on different pieces of paper, and laid them down
before the altar, and invoked their oracle, after which they locked
the doors, so that no person could get in. When they returned and
found any paper removed, the person whose name was on it was declared
to be the criminal. On the priests addressing their oracles, they
became so excited that they remained for hours seemingly in great
agony. After recovering, they explained to the people the sayings of
the oracles. The Indians had tab