A Mohammedan Funeral

When the life of a Mohammedan i ebbing away a distinguished reader of the Koran is summoned to recite aloud its chapters on the Resurrection, so that the spirit of the person on hearing it may have an easy death. The watchers at the bedside also read some passages, and then the drink of sherbet is given to the patiënt to lessen the pangs of death. As soon as the spark of life has fled, the two great toes are tied together with a thin strip of cloth, his mouth is closed, and incensé is burned near the body. The interment follows a few hours after death. The "washers" are men and women who wash and shroud the body, and dig a hole in the earth to hold the water, so that it cannot spread very much, as it is considered unlucky to tread on this water. The washlng is a great ceremony, and when finished the body is shrouded with even more ceremony. Tf there is a widow of the deceased she returns the dowry her husband had given her. If the deceased's mother is present she says: "The milk with which I suekled thee I freely bestow upon thee." Thus she resigns the debt of the deceased to her. When llowers have been placed on the body it is carried to the grave on a bier, or if the relatives can afford it, in a coffin. At the grave four creeds are recited, and tho body, with the head to the north and the face looking towards Mecca, is laid on its back in the tomb. The grave is about seven feet long for both sexes, but the depth for a man is measureel by the distance between his feet and chest; for a woman between her feet and waist. If the body is too long for the grave H is believed that the deceased must have been a great sinner. Before the body is covered the Mohammedan takes a little earth, and, throwing it into the grave, says: "We created you of earth and we return you to the earth, and we shall raise you out of tha earth on the day of resurrection." Then a mound is built to keep the earth in the grave from crushing the body, and water is sprinkled on it in three lines. Special prayers for the safe voyage of the deceased are offered after the burial.