1 OP THE PUNJAUB. 61
2 The tame goat, the wild goat, the wild sheep,
3 the yak (a small ox), and some of the hill dogs
4 supply the wool required in the manufacture
5 of the shawl. This wool, which lies close to the
6 skin of the animal, under the external coating, is
7 of two colours, dark brown (sometimes approach-
8 ing to black) and white, the former possessing
9 about half the value only of the latter, which is
10 better suited to dyeing. After the long hairs
11 have been carefully separated from the mass, the
12 residue undergoes a very careful washing, rice
13 flour forming an efficient substitute for soap. As
14 soon as the whole is perfectly dry, the spinning-
15 wheel comes into play. Women are employed
16 on this part of the business at a very low rate of
17 wages. The yam is then dyed, not less than
18 sixty different tints being employed by the dyers.
19 The raw material being prepared, the loom and
20 shuttle is now brought into operation ; the design
21 of the pattern is drawn by one hand, another
22 selects the proportions and quality of the threads,
23 the warp and woof are arranged by a third per-
24 son, and then the weaving commences. The time
25 occupied in the process depends in a great
26 measure upon the pattern of the shawl ; if it be
27 brilliant and variegated, many months are con-
28 sumed in the weaving ; if simple, a shawl will
29 be prepared in less than three months. It is un-
30 D 2