The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1913-09-05
BAzAARS OF CAIRO
Where Time Is Without Value
and Sales Wait on Patience.
BARGAINING AS A FINE ART.
Polite ard Loquaeious, the Oriental
shopkeeper Will HassIe Over the
Price of an Article From Dawn Until
Dark-A Sample Transaction.


Dark-A Sample Transaction.
He Is the selfsame fellow still. the
Cairene merchant. as In the days OF
Haroun-al- Raschid. He squats In cross
legged contentment as of yore, amen
able only to the !o1uacious system of
bargaining dear = the heart Of the
oriental. The western tourist, foolish
ly regarding time as Of value. will lose
all equanimity long before he has COM
pleted the smallest transaction. II his
knowledge Of the east and his patience
suffice and he begins negotiations early
enough in the day not to be driven
forth as the merchant sets up his shut
tiers Mt nightfall he. may obtain the ar
ticle he seeks at just and equita bic
price. III he gains possession Of 1t in
less than the accustomed time he will
certainly have paid more than its mar
ket value.
vagamundo, the western traveller ex-
perienced in the ways Of the, east,
catches sight during stroll through
the bazaars of an Arabic blade that
takes his fancy. 1t hangs high at the
top of the open booth. on the raised
floor Of which serenely sQuats the pro-
prietor. with folded legs. Vagamundo.
as from the merest curiosity. pauses
to run his eye over the countless ar
ticles, suggests with half stifed
yawn that the scimitar looks like what
might be q convincing weapon In the
hands Of an enemy, ventures to hope
that the merchant Is enjoying fine
weather and strolls leisurely on. The
shopkeeper continues to puff drowsily
at his water bottle until the western
er is all but out Of earshot Then he up
pears suddenly to awake and drones
out languid invitation to return
Vagamundo pays no heed to the sum
mons for some moments, gazes alb
stractedly upon the wares displayed
In another booth, then wanders slowly
back. The merchant hopes that the
traveller Is enjoying the best Of health.
invites him to squat in the bit OF
space not already occupied by himself
VI hlS WdttS, OuClS u NltdIcttc
falls to discussing the state Of the cot
ton crop in the delta. BY the time the
second cigarette Is lighted he turns the
conversation deftly to the scimitar and
remarks that though 1t is hung among
his wares rather for ornament than
day tire Of beholding 1t and part with
1t for-perhaps 1000 piasters. vaga
mundo. putting reminiscently for a
time. recalls having heard friend ex
press n desire to Obtain such weap
on for. say. - piasters or so and
wonders. after all. why that friend
should care for so useless IN article
The shopkeeper regrets that the two
prices named do not more nearly coin
eide, trusts that the foundations will
not be so late this year as last and
reaches again for the tube Of his mar
CHILE. Vagamundo expresses his de-
light that the khedive has recovered
from his recent attack. thanks the
merchant for his disinterested hospital
ity and saunters away.
The shortest instant before he Is
finally lost from view In the surging
stream of bazaar loungers he is called
back to learn that the merchant Is Of
the opinion that the new land tax will
work more effectively than the old.
that the scimitar is probably worth only
$50 piasters and that some Of the
eucalyptus trees In the Esbekich gar
dens are to be removed. With all
due respect to Cromer Pasha Vaga-
mundo doubts the practicability of his
latest scheme of taxation and hopes
that his friend may somewhere run
across such scimitor Mt 100 piasters.
Thus the transaction continues; a
third, fourth. even fifth time Vaga
murdo returns. BY the sixth visit he
has dropped the fiction Of a friend and
openly offers 225 pinsters for the blade.
and the shopkeeper arouses himself
sufficiently to take the weapon down
for inspection and expresses a willing
ness to part with it for 275.
Over newly rolled cigarettes the ne.
the prevalence Of ophthalmia, anon
skirting the matter Of scimitars, their
manufacture and price. Speaking Of
scimitars. the merchant suspects that
for the one in hand he would be salts
fed perhaps ut 25O piasters. Vaga-
mundo lays that sum-which both
recognized from the beginning as the
Just price-on the mat between them,
grasps his newly acquired property
and, amid protestations of lifelong
friendship from the merchant, takes
his departure.
Manchester business men and Chi
cago captains of industry. scorning
such childish methods, have dived into
the maelstrom Of the bazaars Of Cairo
with the avowed intention Of 'doing
business after the manner Of today
and the west: but all I'm vain. The
Cairene sbopkeeper will hurry in his
transactions for no mortal man. Let
the pulsating westerner press his mer-
cenary suit too forcibly and he dis
covers to his surprise. and perhaps
even to his dismay. that the merchant
Of the east displays his wares and
squats by day among them merely as
a recreation and amusement and that