HINTS TO TRAVELLERS. 
299 
make a very low bid; and the matter is fought 
out by the one gradually coming down and the 
other sometimes, but not often, increasing his 
offer, till a satisfactory arrangement is come to. 
The foreigner must be on his guard in this 
particular, as the native trader does not feel at 
all aggrieved if a fourth of the price asked is 
offered for his goods; and I have seen him 
eagerly close with such a bid before now without 
further holding out. These people dearly love 
bargaining—it is as the “ breath of their nostrils ” 
to them ; and they spend hours in this way over 
their improvised stalls beneath the white umbrel¬ 
las of the Malagasy village marts. Sometimes 
the wordy conflict waxes strong and vehement, 
and the gateway rings with the protestations of 
the seller, or the expostulations of the buyer, 
as the case may be; but once the affair is 
arrauged, all settle down amicably and good- 
naturedly enough again to their accustomed 
placidity of mien and feature, and become again 
the best of friends, as has been already stated. 
The commonest coins are the French dollar, 
or five-franc piece. These are cut up with 
shears into bits of various sizes, and these bits 
are weighed out in the scales ( mizana ), which 
every one carries, according to need. The rel¬ 
ative value of a dollar in Madagascar is, of 
course, greater than in Europe, as its purchas- 
