232 PROCESS OF THE BATH. 
the bather till he is well drenched and heated. The attendant 
then takes his employer’s head upon his knees, and rubs in 
with all his might, a sort of wet paste of henna plant, into the 
mustachios and beard. In a few minutes this pomade dyes them 
a bright red. Again he has recourse to the little pail, and 
showers upon his quiescent patient another torrent of warm 
water. Then, putting on a glove made of soft hair, yet possess¬ 
ing some of the scrubbing-brush qualities, he first takes the 
limbs, and then the body, rubbing them hard for three quarters 
of an hour. A third splashing from the pail, prepares the 
operation of the pumice-stone. This he applies to the soles of 
the feet. The next process seizes the hair of the face, whence 
the henna is cleansed away, and replaced by another paste, called 
rang , composed of the leaves of the indigo plant. To this suc¬ 
ceeds the shampooing, which is done by pinching, pulling, and 
rubbing, with so much force and pressure as to produce a vio¬ 
lent glow over the whole frame. Some of the natives delight in 
having every joint in their bodies strained till they crack; and 
this part of the operation is brought to such perfection, that the 
very vertebrae of the back are made to ring a peal in rapid suc¬ 
cession. This climax of skill, however, has a very strange effect 
to the spectator ; for, in consequence of both bather and attend¬ 
ant being alike unclothed, the violent exertions of the one, and 
the natural resistance of the joints in the other, give the twain 
the appearance of a wrestling match. This over, the shampooed 
body, reduced again to its prostrate state, is rubbed all over 
with a preparation of soap confined in a bag, till he is one mass 
of lather. The soap is then washed off with warm water, when 
a complete ablution succeeds, by his being led to the cistern, 
and plunged in. He passes five or six minutes, enjoying the 
