DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.12664#0082
A TURKISH BATH.
75
fellows, and perfectly naked, came up and claimed
me. They settled it among themselves, however,
and gave the preference to a dried-up old man,
more than sixty, a perfect living skeleton, who had
been more than forty years a scrubber in the bath.
He took me through the first process of rubbing
with the glove and brush ; and having thrown over
me a copious ablution of warm water, left me to
recover at leisure. I lay on the marble that
formed the border of the reservoir, only two or
three inches above the surface of the water, into
which I put my hand and found it excessively hot;
but the old man, satisfied with his exertion in rub-
bing me, sat on the edge of the reservoir, with his
feet and legs hanging in the water, with every ap-
pearance of satisfaction. Presently he slid off into
the water, and sinking up to his chin, remained so a
moment, drew a long breath, and seemed to look
around him with a feeling of comfort. I had
hardly raised myself on my elbow to look at this
phenomenon, before a fine brawny fellow, who had
been lying for some time torpid by my side, rose
slowly, slid off like a turtle, and continued sinking
until he too had immersed himself up to his chin.
I expressed to him my astonishment at his ability
to endure such heat, but he told me that he was a
boatman, had been ten days coming up from
Cairo, and was almost frozen, and his only regret
was that the water was not much hotter. He had
hardly answered me before another and another
followed, till all the dark naked figures around mo
75
fellows, and perfectly naked, came up and claimed
me. They settled it among themselves, however,
and gave the preference to a dried-up old man,
more than sixty, a perfect living skeleton, who had
been more than forty years a scrubber in the bath.
He took me through the first process of rubbing
with the glove and brush ; and having thrown over
me a copious ablution of warm water, left me to
recover at leisure. I lay on the marble that
formed the border of the reservoir, only two or
three inches above the surface of the water, into
which I put my hand and found it excessively hot;
but the old man, satisfied with his exertion in rub-
bing me, sat on the edge of the reservoir, with his
feet and legs hanging in the water, with every ap-
pearance of satisfaction. Presently he slid off into
the water, and sinking up to his chin, remained so a
moment, drew a long breath, and seemed to look
around him with a feeling of comfort. I had
hardly raised myself on my elbow to look at this
phenomenon, before a fine brawny fellow, who had
been lying for some time torpid by my side, rose
slowly, slid off like a turtle, and continued sinking
until he too had immersed himself up to his chin.
I expressed to him my astonishment at his ability
to endure such heat, but he told me that he was a
boatman, had been ten days coming up from
Cairo, and was almost frozen, and his only regret
was that the water was not much hotter. He had
hardly answered me before another and another
followed, till all the dark naked figures around mo