PURCHASE OF A SHEEP ; DUMB BARGAINING. 145 



diately suspects that you are trying to cheat him, 

 and will frequently flatly refuse. You must on these 

 occasions conform to a certain etiquette. First, sit 

 down by the side of the vendor, drink tea with him, 

 enquire after the health of his cattle, and listen to 

 some long-winded story about the dearness of things 

 in general and sheep in particular. The next stage 

 in the proceedings is the inspection, or, literally, the 

 feeling of the animal to be sold, which commands a 

 higher value, according to Mongol ideas, in propor- 

 tion to its fat. Act 3 : buyer and seller return to the 

 yurta, sit down again, drink tea, and begin negotiat- 

 ing about the price. Of course, your offer must be 

 much less than he asks ; in the meanwhile expres- 

 sions of mutual regard and friendship are freely 

 interchanged ; the owner extols the good qualities 

 of his animal, which the buyer naturally depre- 

 ciates. 



Finally, the price is never fixed by word of 

 mouth but by a pressure of the fingers, — one of the 

 parties allowing the sleeve of his coat to hang down, 

 whereupon the other thrusts his band into it, so that 

 the whole transaction is secret. This mode of con- 

 cluding a bargain is also common in certain parts 

 of China in ordinary commercial transactions. At 

 length, after endless hand-shaking j.nd interchano-e 

 of compliments, the sheep is bought. The silver 

 and the scales must then be scrutinised ; the vendor 

 usually finding fault \vith the latter, and offerino- the 

 use of his own, which are anything but irreproach- 

 able. A discussion ensues, which is settled somehow 



VOL. I. L 



