6 the great wagons rumbled to a stop on the outskirts of the modest city and immediately the peddlers leapt from their perches , broke out their wares , whisked their horses out of the way , and cried aloud all the while , extolling their peculiar and much desired wares ; the crowd closed in like vultures on carrion to discover what , if anything , borne by these traders from afar might convince them to part with their hard earned coin .