for
bathing is stored in utensils, varying in type according to the part
of India in which you may happen to be. Sometimes it is kept in tall
black earthenware pots, suggestive of those in which the Forty Thieves
of the Arabian Nights concealed themselves. Sometimes it is found in a
gigantic sort of round pie-dish, such as a giant might use for his
supper. Sometimes a modern galvanised iron tub indicates the fusion of
Eastern and Western habits.

A servant-boy will bring you a pailful of hot water from the
kitchen--that remote apartment, in some far-away corner of the
compound, to which no one ventures to penetrate, unless he is prepared
to eat his dinner ever afterwards with misgivings. A certain suspicion
of greasiness on the surface of the water is suggestive of cooking and
of vessels imperfectly cleansed. It is always rather a problem to know
how one is meant to use the water in the pail, which is usually
scalding hot. A visitor emptying it into the big tub of cold water,
and having a luxurious tepid bath, found that in so doing he had
unwittingly used up a store of cold water which was meant to last for
several days. There are many parts of India where clean fresh water is
scarce, and has to be fetched from a distance and used with economy.

The remaining apparatus provided for your comfort in the bathroom is a
wooden board, or rack, on which you squat, while you pour water over
yourself with a tin pint-pot. It is well to see that no scorpion, or
other stinging insect, has hid up in any of the crevices of the board.
A very refreshing bath can be secured in this primitive way, and
suggestions for improved methods are scarcely welcomed by those who
have got accustomed to, and now prefer, the old-fashioned plan.

CHAPTER XLII

DISHONESTY IN INDIA

Ideal low concerning work. Bribery. On the railway.
Dishonest ticket clerks. Servants' commission.
Door-attendant's tip. Gifts from native merchants. Changes
in modern India. The Indian "growler" disappearing. Wearing
shoes. Cloth coats of English cut. The daily paper. The
villagers' clothing.

Most Indians have a low ideal concerning work. If six or seven are
working together they take turns, and it is rare to see more than the
minority in active employment at any given time. Even those who are
set over them do not expect a fuller response. It is also rare to find
anyone (except a few first-class artizans) who takes pride in hi