104 THE FOURTH VOYAGE OF

death!” I then went to their King, and
said to him, “O my lord, how is it that ye
bury the living with the dead in your
country?” And he answered me, “Know
that this is our custom in our country: when
the husband dieth, we bury with him his
wife; and when the wife dieth, we bury with
her her husband alive; that we may not sepa-
rate them in life nor in death; and this custom
we have received from our forefathers.” And
I said, “O King of the age, and in like
manner the foreigner like me, when his wife
dieth among you, do ye with him as ye have
done with this man?” He answered me,
“Yes: we bury him with her, and do with
him as thou hast seen.” And when I heard
these words from him my gall-bladder almost
burst by reason of the violence of my grief
and mourning for myself; my mind was
stupefied, and I became fearful lest my wife
should die before me and they should bury me
alive with her. Afterwards, however, I com-
forted myself, and said, “Perhaps I shall die
before her: and no one knoweth which will
precede and which will follow.” And I pro-
ceeded to beguile myself with occupations.

And but a short time had elapsed after that