wner sold to
foreign kings chains and bracelets of his own making which roused their
amazement. The immense palace of a merchant was covered with pictures
representing the labors and perils of a trafficker: on the sea dreadful
monsters with fish tails were seizing the man; in the desert winged
dragons breathing fire were grasping after him, and on distant islands
he was tormented by a giant whose sandals were larger than any ship of
the Phoenicians.

A physician on the wall of his office represented persons who, thanks
to his aid, had recovered lost hands and feet, even teeth and
youthfulness. On a building occupied by a government administrator of
the quarter were to be seen a keg into which people were throwing gold
rings; a scribe into whose ears some one was whispering; an offender,
stretched on the ground, whom two other men were beating.

The street was full. Along the walls stood litter-bearers, men with
fans, messengers and laborers, ready to offer their services. In the
middle of the street moved an unbroken line of merchants' wares carried
by men, asses, or oxen attached to vehicles. On the sidewalks pushed
forward noisy sellers of fresh water, grapes, dates, dried fish, and
among them hucksters, flower-girls, musicians, and tricksters of
various descriptions.

In this torrent of people which flowed forward and separated, in which
men bought and sold, crying out in various tones, policemen were
prominent. Each had a brownish tunic reaching to his knees, bare legs,
an apron with blue and red stripes, a short sword at his side, and a
strong stick in his hand. This official walked along on the sidewalk;
sometimes he conversed with a colleague; most frequently, however, he
stood on a stone at the edge of the street, so as to take in more
accurately the crowd which flowed past in front of him.

In view of such watchfulness street thieves had to do their work
cleverly. Usually two began to fight, and when a crowd had gathered
around them and the police clubbed both spectators and quarrelers,
other confederates in the art did the stealing.

About half-way between the two ends of the street stood the inn of
Asarhadon, a Phoenician from Tyre. In this inn, for easier control, all
were forced to dwell who came from beyond the boundaries of Egypt. It
was a large quadrangular building which on each side had a number of
tens of windows, and was not connected with other houses; hence men
could go around the place and w