To cure skins. I know no better recipe than the one adopted by my
trainers in the art of _shibar_, the brothers S. I cannot do better
than give a description of the process in the words of George himself.

'Skin the animal in the usual way. Cut from the corner of the mouth,
down the throat, and along the belly. A white stripe or border
generally runs along the belly. This should be left as nearly as
possible equal on both sides. Carefully cut the fleshy parts off the
lips and balls of the toes and feet. Clean away every particle of
fatty or fleshy matter that may still adhere to the skin. Peg it out
on the ground with the hair side undermost. When thoroughly scraped
clean of all extraneous matter on the inner surface, get a bucket or
tub of buttermilk, which is called by the natives _dahye_ or _mutha_.
It is a favourite article of diet with them, cheap and plentiful. Dip
the skin in this, and keep it well and entirely submerged by placing
some heavy weight on it. It should be submerged fully three inches in
the tub of buttermilk.

'After two days in the milk bath, take it out and peg it as before.
Now take a smooth oval rubbing-board about twelve inches long, five
round, and about an inch thick in the middle, and scrub the skin
heartily with this instrument. On its lower surface it should be cuts
in grooves, semicircular in shape, half an inch wide, and one inch
apart. During scrubbing use plenty of pure water to remove filth. In
about half an hour the pinkish-white colour will disappear, and the
skin will appear white, with a blackish tinge underneath. This is the
true hide.

'Again submerge in the buttermilk bath for twenty-four hours, and get
a man to tread on it in every possible way, folding it and unfolding
it, till all has been thoroughly worked.

'Take it out again, peg out and scrub it as before, after which wash
the whole hide well in clear water. Never mind if the skin looks
rotten, it is really not so.

'When washed put it into a tub, in which you have first placed a
mixture consisting of half an ounce of alum to each gallon of water.
Soak the skin in this mixture for about six hours, taking it up
occasionally to drain a little. This is sufficient to cure your skin
and clean it.'

The tanning remains to be done.

'Get four pounds of babool, tamarind, or dry oak bark. (The babool is
a kind of acacia, and is easily procurable, as the tamarind also is).
Boil the bark in two gallons of water till it