The Hot Springs star. (Hot Spings [Hot Springs], Dakota [Dakota Territory, i.e. S.D.]) 1886-189?, 1888-07-27
PROCESS OF TATroolMG IN evRMAH.
A Tedious and Painful Operation Endur-
ed by the Help Of Opium.

Pho Myin, tho subject, is lying on q
mat, quite nude, with a dazcd look in
his lalf.closcd eyes aud breathing
heavily. Muung Daw mods ut him
mcaningly. ''He has taken much Opt
tm," he says, gtinning ut iic. / am
not surprised ut it. II the Htokwiu-
sa%yahgycc was going TO exercise his
art upon INC for four or five hours /
should follow the Burman's plan and
take opium by way Of an an1esthetic.
The tattooing viii show we'll on the
plump. fair-skinncd lad before us, and
the professor evidently thinks he is q
subject to take pains with; as he sits
carefully mixing his ink in a joint of
bamboo and preparing his weapon.
This is a brass rod nearly two feet long
and about an inch thick; it is weighted
ut the top with an ornamental figure,
and ut the other end it has q hollow
point divided by two cross Sits into
fine points.
The professor examines tho s.busi-
ness end" critically. and having satis-
fed himself that it is sharp enough he
t,lcks up his putsoe and squats ut Pho
Myin's side. Selecting u spot on the
high he places both feet on it q few
inches apart, and, stretching the skin
tight, draws the outline of the first fig
uIe--l tiger l'ampant-with an inEy
splinter of bamboo; this is soon done,
and, relieving himself of d large
mouthful of bctelnut, the professor set
ties down to work in earnest. Leaning
forward through his widely parted
knees. he balances the brass style
daintily. and, clasping it with the fin
ger and thumb of the right hand, he
makes a bridge of the left, which he
rests on the surface between his feet.
After sliding the instrument through
his fingers once OF twice. as if to take
aim, he makes q start and pricks away
steadily with II light, firm touch that is
wonderfully quick and true. In less
than five minutes the tiger, with its
surrounding border. is finished, and
the artist removes his feet from the
distcndcd skin and washes oil the SUI
pcriluOus ink to see how his work las
come out. Everybody presses forward
to look mt the picture, which shows up
in bold relief ON the rapidly formed
swelling. Moung Salk exchanges u
remark with his wife. and the tattoocr
resumes his working position to draw
the outline of the next figure. The
boy, stuprticd with opium, lies insensi-
bic 10 pain. while II figure after MI
other gradually appears ON his skin.
Deep as the points of the style sink
they draw little blood, but the limb
swclls in Il manner that would alarm
anyone who did not know it would re-
turn to its normal size in Il day or two.
Fever sometimes s%upcrvencs, and in
that case the patient waits for a time
before the work of illustration is re-
sumed, SO it often extends over the pc
Rod of eightor ten days, during which
the inconvenience suffered is consider
able. Without the aid of opium the
process would be IL much longer one.
l found that could not endure the APP
plication of the style for more than 30
consecutive seconds without ilincling
SO much as to interfere with the opera
tors movements; for the skin is prick
ed over so closely that it becomes too
tender to sustain their repetition.
Eight rupees is the usual fee paid to IL
%tattooer for endowing IL lad with
breaches. The figures that compose
them vary little, consisting as IL rule of
tigers, .'nagas' (dragoons), and ..bc-
loos' (devils). Each one is surround
ed with a border of sentences, general
ly iilegiblc, invoking good luck upon
the owner of the skin wherein they
are inscribed. The waist and knees
are neatly finished off with IL tasteful
of point or Il scroll pattern:
these sensitive parts of tie body are
10 be done, and tlttoocrs have told
that the pain caused frequently
alo,ises the patient from his torpor.E
lnl.uAiM Nni,n-iun