"I would rather go with thee, father," said Chola, so he and his father
turned into another street. Here were the shops where wonderful gold and
silver work was made and sold; and where precious stones were set into
all kinds of rich and curious jewelry. The shop of Chola's father was
one of the largest in the street, though we would think it very small.
It was more like a big cupboard in the side of the street than anything
else; and he could reach nearly everything in it without getting up from
his seat. The shop had no name or sign over it, nor were there any
windows, while no doors were needed because the entire front was open to
the street, so that customers could look in to see if there was anything
they wished to buy without coming inside.
Chola sat on his heels watching his father as he sat cross-legged on a
carpet spread on the floor, putting a beautiful blue turquoise into the
setting of a silver necklace. Near to his elbow was a low table on which
were piles of precious stones. He liked to come with his father to the
Bazaar and watch him make the gold and silver into beautiful things.
When Chola was older he would come every day to the Bazaar, and his
father would teach him to be a silversmith like himself. Every little
Hindu boy follows the same trade as his father.
The Hindus love jewelry of all kinds, and both men and women wear
quantities of it. In fact much of their wealth is often put into the
form of necklaces, rings, and bracelets, which the women wear all the
time. The Hindus think this is the safest way to keep their wealth. So
you see why the jewellers do such a big trade in India.
"Father, there's a customer," whispered Chola, but Harajar paid not the
slightest attention to a tall man in a long silk robe, with a big turban
on his head, who stopped to look in the shop. A Hindu merchant usually
thinks it beneath his dignity to ask any one to buy his wares.
Presently the tall man said: "Are you happy?"
"I am happy," answered Harajar.
This is the Hindu way of saying "How do you do?"
Harajar then offered the tall man a seat on the rug, and his own
_hookah_ to smoke, which is the polite thing to do. The would-be
customer puffed away at the great pipe for some minutes, meanwhile
saying never a word. Soon he began to pay compliments; and then he
looked at, and priced, nearly everything in the shop before he asked the
price of the gold-mounted dagger on which he had had his eye all the
time. Then came the bargaining.
Chola knew that this would take all the morning, so he slipped away to a
shop a little way down the street, where a big yellow and red awning
hung across the roadway.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account