things very smoothly. He announced that he would
not dream of allowing protocol to interfere with such a fascinating
conversation, and put the scientists together at one end of the table.
The officers from the consulate, evidently in deference to the
distinguished Egyptian scientist, continued to listen closely to the
talk, even though Rick was sure they didn't understand a word.

The three young people found themselves free to talk with their host,
and the boys at once began firing questions.

Bartouki described Cairo and promised that he would present them with
guidebooks to be read on the way over. He told them about things to do
in the ancient city, and listed places that were "musts" for tourists.
They included the step pyramid at Sakkarah, the Egyptian Museum, the
mosque of Sultan Hassan, and the mosque and college of El Azhar, founded
in the ninth century.

"Of course you will see a great deal of the Sphinx and the pyramids at
Giza, since our new radio telescope is nearby. But most of all, you must
see El Mouski."

"What is that?" Rick asked.

"It is the Cairo bazaar. There are several sections, known as _sooks_.
They have names like Khan El Khalili, Ghooriyeh, Sagha, Sook El
Nahassin, and so on, but the principal one is Mouski."

"Spell it for me," Barby pleaded.

Bartouki smiled. "What you ask is difficult. We use a different
alphabet, so there is no exact equivalent, only what is called
transliteration, which uses phonetics. So the bazaar can be Mouski,
Muski, Mosky, Mouskey, or anything else that sounds the same. Even for
Giza, where the pyramids are, there are many spellings."

"I wish you'd tell my English teacher that." Barby sighed. "I think my
way of spelling is just as good as hers."

Bartouki and the boys laughed sympathetically. The little merchant said,
"Whatever the spelling, El Mouski will fascinate you. Many things are
made there especially for tourists. Some of the workmanship is
excellent, and the prices are very low."

"We haven't had much luck with bazaars that cater to tourists," Scotty
replied. "We prefer markets where local people buy, because the things
are more authentic."

Bartouki chuckled. "That is wise, in most countries. But consider. The
attraction for tourists are things that are clearly Egyptian in origin,
no? Such things vanished from all but our museums some years ago. You
could not buy a genuine Egyptian tapestry, or a stone carving from a
tomb. Such things are b