gathered into the granary. Ought you to repine at what is
a subject for joy? Instead of shaving men's heads, he is now seated
between two houris, drinking milk and eating honey. Ought you to weep at
that? No; rather weep that you are not there also. But why weep at
all? Consider the many motives for which, on the contrary, you have to
rejoice. He might have been an unbeliever--but he was a true Mussulman.
He might have been a Turk--but he was a Persian. He might have been a
Suni--but he was a Shiah. He might have been an unclean Christian--he
was a lawful son of Islam. He might have died accursed like a Jew--he
has resigned his breath with the profession of the true faith in his
mouth. All these are subjects of joy!'

After this manner did he go on; and, having expended all he had to say,
left me, to join his voice to the general wailing. Those unclean men,
the _murdeshur_, or washers of the dead, were then called in, who
brought with them the bier, in which the corpse was to be carried to the
grave. I was consulted, whether they should make an imareh of it,
which is a sort of canopy, adorned with black flags, shawls, and other
stuffs--a ceremony practised only in the burials of great personages;
but I referred the decision to my friend the schoolmaster, who
immediately said, that considering my worthy father to have been a
sort of public character, he should certainly be for giving him such
a distinction. This was accordingly done; and the corpse having been
brought out by the distant relations, and laid therein, it was carried
to the place of ablution, where it was delivered over to the washers,
who immediately went to work. The body was first washed with clear cold
water, then rubbed over with lime, salt, and camphor, placed in the
winding-sheet, again consigned to the bier, and at length conveyed to
the place of burial.

The many who offered themselves to carry the body was a proof how much
my father must have been beloved. Even strangers feeling that it was
a praiseworthy action to carry a good Mussulman to the grave, pressed
forward to lend their shoulder to the burden, and by the time it had
reached its last resting-place, the crowd was considerable.

I had followed at a small distance, escorted by those who called
themselves friends and relations; and after a mollah had said a prayer,
accompanied by the voices of all present, I was invited, as the nearest
relative, to place the body in the earth, which having