The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1913-10-15
BAzAARS OF CAIRO
Where Time Is Without Value
and Sales Wait on Patience.
BARGAINING AS A FINE ART.

BARGAINING AS A FINE ART.
Polite and Loquseieus, the Oriental
shopkeeper Will Hassie Over tho
Price Of an Article From Dawn Until
park-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 loquacious system Of
bargaining dear to the heart OF the
oriental. The western tourist, foolish
~ 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 at nightfall he may obtain the ar
ticle be seeks at just and equitable
price. II 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 e1-
perienced in the ways Of the east,
catches sight during stroll through
the bazaars Of IN Arabic blade that
takes bis; fancy. 1t hangs high ut 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 sdfed
yawn that the scimitar looks ike what
might be 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 pun drowsily
at his water bottle until the western
er Is all but out Of earshot. Then he ap-
pears suddenly to awake and drones
out a tanguid invitation TO return.
vagamunao 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
or bis wares, offers cigarette and
falls to discussing the state Of the cot
ton crop h thu da3ta. By the dme me
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
for sale it Is possible he may some
day tire Of beholding It and part with
1t for-perhaps 1000 piasters. Vaga-
mundo, pulling reminiscently for
time. recalls having heard friend e1'
press desire to obtain such weap-
on for, say, rs piasters OF so and
wonders, after all, why that friend
should care for 80 useless en- article.
The shopkeeper regrets that the two
prices named do not more nearly coin
eide, trusts that the inundations Will
not be 80 late this year as last and
reaches again for the tube Of bis mar
Chile. Vagamundo expresses his de-
light that the khedlEe has recovered
from his recent attack, thanks the
merchant for his disinterested hospital
fly 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 Esbekieh gar.
dens arc 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 q scimitar at 100 Diasters.
Thus the transaction continues; a
third, fourth, even fifth time Vaga-
mundo returns. By the sixth visit he
has dropped the fiction Of friend and
openly offers 225 piasters for the blade,
and the shopkeeper arouses himself
sufficiently to take the weapon down
for inspection and expresses willing
ness to part with it for 275.
Over newly rolled cigarettes the ne
gotiation proceeds, now touching upon
the prevalence Of ophthalmia, anon
skiring 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 at $50 piasters. Vaga-
mundo lays that sum-whk>a 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 arowed intention Of doing
business" after the manner Of today
and the west; but all in vain. The
Cairene shopkeeper will hurry in bis
transactions Cor no mortal man. Let