condensed master

Will Bonner
The following day he had decided to get reacquainted with the area during the
morning, and after a light lunch would try and locate the shoe shop. He wouldn't
need to ask directions as he had been into the Crawford market area before,
looking through the bazaars, but if he had any difficulties he could slip back to the
tourist centre for more information, which was within walking distance.
Will eventually found himself at the entrance to the Crawford market, it was
early afternoon giving him plenty of time to find the shop. Practically all of the
shops within easy reach of the docks bore the English as well as Hindu signs, so
he knew that there would be no difficulty spotting it amongst the others. Looking
again at the address on the card, he knew that it would not be situated inside the
market, so he would have to concentrate on the streets in the near vicinity.
I suppose it is understandable when an address is given to a European he
thinks European, where all the street names and numbers are carefully sign posted.
But here when looking down a street, one is confronted with thousands of people,
all dressed alike, and the whole scene radiating a picture of organized chaos. The
congestion of both people and buildings was overwhelming!
Will looked in bewilderment, wondering whether right from the start he would
have to go to the tourist centre for help. He decided however, to first give it a try
since he was on the spot and had enough time. Starting systematically, he searched
the street in a clockwise direction, some fifty yards at a time, on both sides of the
street. He had no need for concern and within the hour caught sight of the shop,
which was centred in the more prestigious part of the area.
The frontage was much larger than he had expected, with cascades of racks
and stands on the pavement, containing shoes, belts, and other leather goods. Two
young Hindus, positioned at either end of the display, were obviously employees
keeping a constant vigilance against prospective thieves, which abounded in the
vicinity. They would only have to relax for a second and something would
mysteriously disappear.
Will stood for a few minutes trying to pluck up enough courage to cross the
street and enter the shop, but the longer he stood the more nervous he became.
Eventually, the butterflies in his stomach became so obvious that he moved away
and around the corner, out of sight of the shop, trying to quell the doubts that were
uppermost in his mind. After awhile his nervousness began to abate.
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