ill and deeply moved. It is true, I was afterwards informed
that this grief is mostly merely assumed, since custom requires that
the chief mourner shall be, or pretend to be, weak and ill with
sorrow.

On arriving at the grave, which was seven feet deep, and dug on the
declivity of a hill, they laid the pall, flowers, and rice on one
side, and then, after throwing in a vast quantity of gold and silver
paper, lowered the coffin, which I then for the first time perceived
was of the finest workmanship, lacquered and hermetically closed.
At least half an hour was taken up by this part of the proceedings.
The relations at first threw themselves on the ground, and, covering
their faces, howled horribly, but finding the burial lasted rather
long, sat down in a circle all round, and taking their little
baskets of betel, burnt mussel-shells, and areca-nuts, began chewing
away with the greatest composure.

After the coffin was lowered into the grave, one of the attendants
advanced to the upper part of it, and opened the small packet of
rice, on which he placed a sort of compass. A cord was then handed
to him. He placed it over the middle of the compass, and altered
its position until it lay exactly in the same direction as the
needle. A second cord, with a plummet attached, was then held to
the first and let down into the grave, and the coffin moved
backwards and forwards according to this line, until the middle was
in the same direction as the needle: this arrangement consumed at
least another quarter of an hour.

After this, the coffin was covered over with numberless sheets of
white paper, and the person who had conducted the previous operation
made a short speech, during which the children of the deceased threw
themselves upon the ground. When it was finished, the speaker threw
a few handfuls of rice over the coffin and to the children, who held
up the corner of their outer garments so as to catch as many of the
grains as possible; but as they only succeeded in obtaining a few,
the speaker gave about a handful more, which they tied up carefully
in the corner of their dress, and took away with them.

The grave was at last filled in, when the relations set up a most
dismal howl, but, as far as I could remark, every eye was dry.

After this, boiled fowls, ducks, pork, fruit, all kinds of pastry,
and a dozen cups full of tea, together with the tea-pot, were placed
in two rows upon the grave, and six painted wax taper