BARGAINING WITH THE NATIVES. 15

monotony being occasionally varied by palms and

mud villages. At night we anchored off either bank,

as the captain refused to go on in the dark, for

fear of mud-banks.

Our chief amusement was going on shore in the

evenings, and buying chickens, eggs, vegetables, and

milk. The average price was melon, one piastre

(2%d.) ; eggs, ten a piastre ; turkey, half-a-crown ;

and goose, eighteenpence.

Before long we formulated these rules, and it

was only by sticking rigidly to them that we managed

to get things moderately cheap

:

1. Always bring a koorbash or a stick with you.

2. Bargain in the dark, so as to pass off your

bad piastres.

J3.

Always get the article desired into your pos-

ssion before you attempt to haggle.

4. Offer never more than half what they ask,

and go away if you do not get it at your price ;

they will then follow you and conform to your

wishes.

The day before getting to Assouan we passed a