54 HOW I KILLED THE TIGER. 



in fact, included as part of their religious ritual. 

 They are allotted to various periods of the day, 

 and are varied to meet particular forms of 

 purification. The Hebrew ceremonial, as still 

 practised by their Jewish successors, is laid down 

 in the books of Moses. The Mahommedan practice 

 is somewhat similar, both for men and women ; 

 the Mahommedans using the dry sand of the 

 desert as a substitute where water is not obtain- 

 able. The Hindu ritual is severe as to bathing, 

 and along the banks of the sacred Ganges crowds 

 of men and women may be daily observed per- 

 forming their ablutions. One of their most 

 superstitious practices consists in worshipping or 

 deifying the waters of the Ganges. Quantities 

 of the water are carried to all parts of India, 

 and are sworn by in Courts of Justice. The 

 Buddhists and Mahommedans are less stringent in 

 their observances as regards ablutions than the 

 Hindus. With the Hindus, as soon as a guest 

 enters, one of the first civilities is offering water 

 to wash his feet. A Hindu wipes or washes his 

 feet before retiring to rest. If called from his 

 bed, he often excuses himself on the pretext 

 that he might daub his feet ; and as he wears 

 no shoes in the house, and the floor is of clay, 

 the excuse seems very natural. In Leviticus 

 xiv. 8, 9, and 52, there are references to personal 



