and very high, with a dome-shaped roof,
from which it was dimly lighted by four small and very dirty windows.
Water trickled down the dirty dark-brown walls; water and soap-suds
floated over the dirty marble floor. In the centre of the floor was a
mass of masonry about three feet high and seven feet square. This was
the core of the room, as it were--part of the heating apparatus. It was
covered with smooth slabs of stone, on which there was no covering of
any kind. There is no knowing how much lurid smoke and fire rolled
beneath this giant stone ottoman.

It chanced that only two men were in the place at the time. They had
advanced to a certain stage of the process, and were enjoying
themselves, apparently lifeless, and in sprawling attitudes, on the hot
sloppy floor. The attendant of one had left him for a time. The
attendant of the other was lying not far from his temporary owner, sound
asleep. One of the Moors was very short and fat, the other tail and
unusually thin; both had top-tufts of hair on their shaven crowns, and
both would have looked supremely ridiculous if it had not been for the
horrible resemblance they bore to men who had been roasted alive on the
hot ottoman, and flung carelessly aside to die by slow degrees.

"Do as I doos," said Rais to Flaggan, as he stretched himself on his
back on the ottoman.

"Surely," acquiesced Ted, with a gasp, for he was beginning to feel the
place rather suffocating. He would not have minded the heat so much, he
thought, if there had only been a _little_ fresh air!

Rais Ali's bath-attendant lay down on the slab beside him. Flaggan's
attendant looked at him with a smile, and pointed to the ottoman.

"Och, surely," said Ted again, as he sat down. Instantly he leaped up
with a subdued howl.

"W'y, what wrong?" asked Rais, looking up.

"It's red-hot," replied Flaggan, rubbing himself.

"Nonsense!" returned Rais; "you lie down queek. Soon git use to him.
Always feel hottish at fust."

Resolved not to be beaten, the unfortunate Irishman sat down again, and
again started up, but, feeling ashamed, suddenly flung himself flat on
his back, held his breath, and ground his teeth together. He thought of
gridirons; he thought of the rack; he thought of purgatory; he thought
of the propriety of starting up and of tearing limb from limb the
attendant, who, with a quiet smile, lay down beside him and shut his
eyes; he thought of the impossibility of bearing it an in