back. When they have followed the rounds of the markets till all their stock has been sold, they return home, only to load and start again. These people sell their wares from village to village without waiting to reach the markets.
The cloth merchant is there with his stock of foreign piece goods, which is much in demand. Formerly all the cloth used in the country was made in the homes of the people. There is much of it thus made at the present, but by far the larger part of it is now imported from England, America, and Japan, with some from China. This is principally the white cotton sheeting of various grades. It finds its way to the people through our village merchants, many of whom in this special line are Chinamen. The man with silks of native and foreign makes and with the various qualities of linens is also at the market. The hardware man with all the farming implements is on hand. Also the shoe merchant will be found with his stock spread out by the roadside, where he can catch the man who feels the sand cutting his heel through the bottom of his shoe.
It is not possible for me to mention all the different sorts of articles that are found in these markets. Suffice it to say that nearly everything that is needed about the Korean house will be found in the large markets. It may go without saying that these are busy places during the hours that the market lasts. Toward the close of the day the merchants begin to pack up and start for the place where the market will meet the next day. The drinking of the rice wine is indulged in
