However, I picked him up at last, found he was not seriously injured, gave him a clean handkerchief (which he promised to return), and started him off again in his cart, in a sitting position this time, and much crestfallen.
The throng increased as we approached Beaucaire, and when we got into the streets there was frequently a complete stoppage.

Oh, what a lively scene it was! and what a noise! Music playing, bells ringing, people talking at the top of their voices.

What joyous meetings I what hearty welcomes! what various smells of fried fish, hot soups, and roast meats! Truly, the Fair of Beaucaire exceeded my liveliest imaginings, and yours will certainly never come up to it.
The fair, you have perhaps heard, is held on a wide open ground between the Rhone and the castle rock.

This space was covered with streets of booths and sheds, in which all kinds of merchandise were displayed.
The river was choked with heavily-freighted barges.

As for the streets, they were hung from their upper windows with the richest tapestries; silks, damasks, velvets, and goldsmiths' work were displayed in the richest abundance; the most costly valuables exposed, almost at the mercy of jostling wayfarers; banners flaunting overhead, and casting fleeting shadows beneath.