In this way he observed that a certain woman, the wife of a Sowcar, or Bunniah, used to leave her home every night, carrying a ghurra, or chattie, on her head and some food in her hand. Arrived at the river, she floated the chattie, and sat upon it, thus getting a passage to the other side, where she visited a certain Fakir.
In the early morning she returned, carrying the chattie full of water for the day’s use; and this being an everyday custom with native women in the East, it was never suspected that she had spent nearly the whole night away from her home. Bickermanji observed all this, and wondered to himself how the matter would end.
One day the woman’s husband, who had been away in another country, returned, so she had to attend to his food, and could not get away as early as usual to carry dainty dishes to the Fakir, who was very angry when she arrived late, and made her excuses on account of her husband’s arrival.
“What do I care for your husband?” said the Fakir. “Is he better than a holy mendicant? Go this moment and bring me his head.”
This she did, much to the Fakir’s surprise; but, instead of being pleased at her obedience to his wishes, he was angry, and said: “If you killed your husband, you will one day kill me also.”
So he drove her from his presence, and she returned to her own home, where, taking her husband’s head upon her knee, she set up a great weeping and lamentation, which attracted all her neighbours and brought them together.
“My husband had only just returned from a journey, bringing money; and see, thieves have stolen his money, and murdered him during the night.”
Her neighbours believed this, and prepared to carry her husband to the burning ghât, for he was a Hindoo. While they did this, the woman declared that she would follow, and perform the sacred rite of suttee, or being burnt upon her husband’s funeral pyre.
Although impressed by her supposed devotion to her husband, her friends wrote to Bickermanji, and begged him to prevent her.
Bickermanji knew all that had really happened, and meant to show his own wisdom and the woman’s crime, also to punish her as he thought best. So he promptly forbade the suttee.