Page:Life in India or Madras, the Neilgherries, and Calcutta.djvu/552

Rh by. But even such houses are close, ill-ventilated, and unfit for habitation in a tropical climate.

In the bazaars, or trading streets, the front verandah is enlarged by a stiff mat of split bamboo, which is supported by posts, and extending into the street, affords a shelter for the tradesman and his goods as well as for the purchaser. Here all the varied articles of Indian traffic and consumption are exposed for sale, and a constant hubbub is kept up by the disputes of the buyers and sellers. Generally, the Hindu knows to a hairs' breadth the value of every article, and he will spend an hour in debate rather than lose a pice. The foreigner is sure of being cheated, if he does not know the price he ought to give a native tradesman, as his rule is to get all he can, without any reference to the value of his goods.

A variety is given to the scene by the groups of men, in their white robes and red or white turbans, moving hither and thither, by half-naked coolies, cavady-men with their boxes slung on a bamboo over their shoulders, bandies from the country, and the occasional passage