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Drawing forth my arm, I stood like an unhappy fool before the assembly, the trap dangling at my bleeding wrist. 'Seize them both,' cried the captain, 'and confine them.'

'Oh, mercy!' cried Peerbuksh. 'Save my life, and I will inform you where the money has been conveyed.'

'On those conditions, and that you name your associates, I will spare you,' said the captain.

Peerbuksh was about to confess all, when the stroke of a sabre on the back of his neck from one of our Mahommedan friends silenced him for ever. The whole cavern was now a scene of confusion; and the man who had sacrificed Peerbuksh was seized and confined in his stead, myself being his fellow-prisoner. My companion launched out in invectives against Peerbuksh, especially when he learned from me the treachery he had meditated. 'What will become of us ?' cried I.

'Death is inevitable,' replied my friend; but I am ready to suffer a thousand deaths ere I confess where the money is concealed.'

'Our two remaining friends, then,' said I, 'may at last be the only gainers.'

'So much the better for them,' observed he. 'Had not I silenced that knave Peerbuksh, all of us but himself must have suffered, and the gang become repossessed of their money. But how in the name of wonder could they suspect us?'

'Nay, I know not,' I replied; 'but most probably the last time we remained at home we helped ourselves rather too freely, and the plan of the trap was in consequence adopted to discover the thief. Alas! too well has it succeeded.' My wrist was extremely

painful; but as I was sure of suffering death for my crime I was unconcerned about it.'

On the following day we were conducted before the gang, at the head of which sat the captain, who, without any harangue, sentenced me to be shot with arrows, offering my fellow-prisoner his life if he would inform them where the money was concealed. My companion, however, refusing, we were led away for execution, the place for which was fixed to be in the jungle. I was first conducted up the stone steps; and the trap-door being removed, I breathed once more the air of heaven. It was a beautiful morning; the sun had scarcely risen, and a refreshing breeze played through the forest.

Two of the sanguinary Kookies led me towards a tree, with the intention of binding me, to receive the deadly arrows of a party drawn up for that purpose. In such a situation a miracle alone could have saved me. I had nearly approached the fatal tree, when an enormous tiger darted from the thicket and sprang upon one of my conductors; the other fellow fled, as did also the whole party, who were unprepared with musket and ball to encounter so formidable an enemy. It may be imagined how quickly I followed their example; I almost flew through the forest, fearing to look behind, lest I should behold the furious tiger or the bloodthirsty Kookie pursuing me. I fancy, however, the wild beast created too much alarm in the breasts of the valiant Kookies to suffer them to spare a momentary thought upon myself, for when I did venture to look around me all was quiet— not a creature was to be seen.

Thus I escaped the fury of the robbers. What became of the

unhappy man who was to have followed me to the place of execution I know not, but question if he was so fortunate as myself. Finding I had preserved my life, I began to bestow anxious attention on my poor wrist, which was now dreadfully inflamed: my first care was to bathe it in a small stream, where I sat and refreshed myself. After two whole days spent in rambling through the wilds and jungles, I arrived at Chittagong, where I applied to a Portuguese doctor, begging him to cure my wounded wrist. Alas! he assured me it was in a state of mortification, and that amputation alone would preserve my life. I submitted to the operation, and I and my right hand parted company for ever. The few rupees I had in my possession began to dwindle away, and I found myself once more a beggar in a foreign land.

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CHAPTER XVII.

THE DYER'S STORY (continued).

MUTILATED and forlorn, I wandered from place to place, trusting to chance and charity for my means of subsistence, and thus have had many opportunities of witnessing the extraordinary customs and manners of the Hindús. At Benares I beheld many of their shocking sacrifices and self-inflicted penances; at Juggernaut I saw the ponderous car, whose wheels are near thirty feet in diameter, drawn by the eager multitude over numbers of the bodies of their infatuated brethren, who thus sacrifice their lives in honour of their god, hoping by these means to attain beatitude in a future state.

In some villages I have met with religious mendicants in a state of nudity, bedaubed with red paint and ashes, with their nails growing through the palms of their hands; others with one arm erect and immovable; others with one of their legs contracted; and many other horrid sights, which I shall have considerable difficulty in getting my countrymen to believe. Proceeding one day through a considerable town, I saw a crowd of persons gathered around an unfortunate man crying out, 'A Churku! a Churku!' Others were busily employed in undressing him, whilst many hurried onwards to prepare for some, no doubt,

horrid ceremony. I enquired of an old man who stood by me the meaning of the exclamations I heard and the scene which I witnessed.

'Follow me,' said he, 'and you shall see.'

I did so, and beheld an unhappy object led from the town to the margin of a small river, where was erected a post about fifteen feet high, on the top of which swung a beam in an horizontal position, with a cord affixed to one extremity and a sharp iron hook to the other. To my surprise, the victim, placing himself immediately under the end whereon was fixed the hook, exclaimed, 'I am ready!'

The beam being lowered, a man advancing dashed the hook with violence into the flesh of the poor victim's back; upon which another person, seizing the rope at the opposite extremity, raised the suffering creature from the earth, who without a groan was spun round and round for almost half an hour, swinging in a circle of nearly forty feet in diameter. 'What can be the meaning of this?' enquired I. The old man who had conducted me to the spot informed me that the man whom I saw swinging in the air had transgressed several rules of his tribe, and had lost caste, and was thus endeavouring to reclaim his rank and situation, such a method being the only one by which he could have any chance of success. 'Well,' thought I, 'it were better to be an outcast for ever than to be thus tortured.'

The ceremony concluded. The man, amidst the yells of the populace and maniac dancing of several misguided women, who had partaken of bhang1 for the occasion, was gradually lowered, 1 A preparation of opium.

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