The Hartford republican., 1913-11-28
BAzAARS OF CAIRO
Where Time Is Without Value
and Sales Wait on Patience.
BARGAINING AS A FINE ART.
Polite and loquaeious, the Oriental
shopkeeper Will HassIe Over the
Price Of an Article From Dawn Until
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 Ioquacious system Of
bargaining dear to 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 pa tience
suffice and he begins negotiations early
enough in the day not to be driven
forth as the merchant sets up his shut
ters at nightfall he may obtain the ar
ticle he seeks at a just and equitable
price. If he gains possession OF 1t In
less than the accustomed time he will
certainly have paid more than Its mar
ket value.
Nagamundo. the western traveller ex-
perienced In the ways OF the east.
catches sight during a 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 squnts 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 stitied
yawn that the scimitar looks like what
might be a convincing weapon In the
hands Of an enemy. ventures to hope
that the merchant Is enjoying fine
weather aud strolls lcisurcly on. The
shOpkeeper continues to puff 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 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
or his wares. offers "A cigarette and
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 it is hung among
his wares rather for ornament than
for sale 1t il possible he may some
day tire of beholding 1t and part with
1t for-perhaps 1000 piasters. vaga-
mundO. putting reminiscently for
time. recalls having heard a friend ex-
press desire to obtain such weap-
on for. say. IS piasters or so and
wonders, after all. why that friend
should care for so useless an article.
The shOpkeeper regrets that the two
prices named do not more nearly coin
eide. trusts that the inundations will
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 inst before he Is
finally lost from y.er n the surging
stream of baZaar 10 lrs he is called
back 10 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
80 piasters and that some of the
eucalyptus trees In the Esbekieh 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 n scimitar stSIe0 piasters.
Thus the transaction continues; a
third. fourth. even fifth time vaga- |
mundo returns. BY the sixth visit he
has dropped the fiction of a friend and
openly offers 225 piasters for the blade.
and the shopkeeper arouses himself
sufficiently to take the weapon down
for inspection and expresses q willing
ness to part with ii for 275.
Over newly rolled cigarettes the ne
gotiation proceeds. now touching upon !
the prevalence of ophthalmia. anon
,kirting the matter OF scimitars. their I
aud price Speaking Of