The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-11-17

One of the most interesting places is the womans market. This consists of A vast number of mat tents or shelters. under each of which woman sits with her wares piled about her. She may have vegetables, grain or fowls, or articles of native cloth and other things made by the people. The women have the monoply of the sales here. Men may come and buy, but they can not peddle anything within the Wonl- en's precincts nor can they open stands there l understand that the women are shrewd traders. Their markers cover several acres, and during my stay they were thronged Wth piach and brown natives.
 Not far from this market came into the great square upon which the streets of the stores enter. rms square contains ten or more acres. There are a number of restaufhhlS facing 1t, and in one corner there IS cattle market where donkeys' eamels and horses are sold. The sales are uh der the government, to the extent that an animal must be sold there If good file goes with It. If the transfer IS made elsewhere the terms of the bar gain may be questioned, and thereiofe the traders come.
 Selling Money.
 
 money I do not mean stock exchahseS or banks. but real stores with money on the counters, and stacked up in bundles and laid away in piles on the sheiVes. That is what they have in Omdurnah. There are caravans going out rom hei to all parts of north-central Atr1ca' anu each must have it's own currency for the iournev These people are not far from fhe dark ages as far as their financial matters are concerned. Many of the tribes do not know what coinage means they use neither copper silver nor goia' and one of our dollars would be Worth nothing. Among many of the people prdss wire and beads are the only currency and strange to say every locality mas it's own style of beads and it's favorite wire If blue beads are popular you can buv nothing with red ones, and If the people want beads of metal it is useless . to offer them glass.
 In some localities cloth is used as money. and in others salt is the medium of exchange. The salt is nodded or cut out of the salt rock in sticks, and so many sticks will buy a COW or a camel.
 The owner of one of the largest money stores of the Sudan is a Syrian. l found him not far from the great market, and he told me that he would be glad to out fit me if went into the wilds. l priced some of his beeds Those made of amber were especially GOSliy. I1t idu oiiC StiihB of amber Jumps, five in number. Each bead was the size of black walnut, and he asked for the string three Eng fish pounds The string will be worn as a charm about some woman's bare waist and it may form the whole wardrobe of the maiden who gets It. Q.
 Among SiIversmiths.
 Not far from this bead money estab- lishment the mamour and I entered the street of the sllversmiths. This con tains many shops in which black men and boys are busy making the barbaric jewelry of the Sudan. Jewels are the savings banks of this region and many of the articles are of pure silver and pure gold. Some are very heavy. l priced rings of silver worth 8 apiece and handled a pair of gold earrings which the jeweler said were worth s60. The earrings were each as big around as coffee cup and their thickness at the place where they are fastened into the ear was that of a lead pencil The man who had them for sale was barefooted. He wore a long white gown and a cap of white cotton, and his whole dress could not have cost more than $10. He was black, and he had half a dozen black