68
LIFE IN JAVA.
stead of the blue kerchief, he wore one of baték,[1] with one corner left to hang slightly over his forehead; and over this a blue velvet cap, similar to those worn by jockeys, only that the brim projected more, and that on both sides, immediately above the ear, were fixed two wing-like appendages, made of the same material as the cap.
His jacket was of dark blue velvet, lined with golden cloth, and embroidered with flowers of gold and silver; and underneath was a kind of waist-
- ↑ Baték, or Batey, is the name given to a cloth dyed in the Island. A piece of white calico, cut out to lengths required for a sarong or salendang, is thrown over a frame of of wood like a towel rail. Before this sits an old woman or young girl, holding a portion of the cloth spread above her knees, while with one hand she pours upon it boiling wax from a small brass vessel like a miniature kettle. With this she forms curious extempore designs of birds, beasts, and flowers, leaving spaces between to receive the dye for the groundwork. She then dips the cloth into some solution, and, after a saturation of some hours, it is exposed to dry. When the wax is taken off, the open spaces of the cloth have assumed the black, blue, or red colour of the dye, while those that were waxed over appear of a yellowish white. A good baték salendang, three yards long by half a yard broad, will fetch from two to three pounds.
