Within the square were carts, camels, saddle horses, carriages, and donkeys, all there to be hired. Men were wandering about, sometimes in pairs and holding hands. This, Budthorne explained, was a common sight, it being an evidence of affection that was thought quite natural in Damascus. Adjoining the square were several coffee shops, where Turkish men could be seen sitting round, smoking hookahs, sipping coffee, and playing checkers, chess, dominoes, and so forth. They wore long, calico gowns, and their heads were swathed in turbans. “Look here,” said Dick, motioning toward some passing camels. “See how oddly their owners decorate the beasts. They have strings of blue beads round their necks.” “You’ll see that everywhere, on camels, horses, and donkeys,” declared Budthorne. “Those strings of beads are charms to ward off the influence of the evil eye.” A strange sound smote their ears. It came from the open door of a little shop, and it made them shiver, for it was a sort of doleful wail and chant combined. “Some one must be dying in there!” exclaimed Dick. They looked in at the door. A young man was sitting cross-legged on the floor, busy at some sort of work. He was singing! Despite the distressing sounds he was emitting, this young man was very happy. He was singing a love song! The sound of clanging, clanking, and banging, as of many persons pounding tin pans and washboilers, came to their ears. A few moments later they found themselves at the beginning of the bazaars of the city. The sounds they had heard came from the coppersmith’s street, where hundreds of skillful laborers were at work on brass, beating and molding it in to all sorts of shapes. They were making bowls, trays, and dishes, such as may be seen on sale in any genuine Oriental store. It was very interesting to watch these laborers, and their skill was something to marvel at. They wandered on through bazaar after bazaar, their interest and wonderment increasing. One bazaar was filled with pipes and smoking paraphernalia of every description. There were pipes mounted with gold and silver, and some were decorated with precious stones. Then came the leather shops, the cloth store, the curio shops, the place of odd and ancient weapons, the goldsmith’s bazaar, and, most fascinating of all, the Street of the Greeks. In the latter place were to be seen all sorts of Oriental articles and ornaments, embroideries, rugs, carpets, silks, clothing, armors, weapons, pipes, gems, coins, fezzes. They were besieged by Armenians, Greeks, and Jews, all anxious and eager to sell them goods. Only the Turks sat back in dignified silence and declined to solicit trade. Some of the dealers were offensive in their insistence. They pulled Nadia and held articles before her for inspection, dilating on the merits of the goods. They named prices and then asked for offers.