The weekly messenger. [volume] (St. Martinsville [i.e. St. Martinville] La.) 1886-1948, 1889-02-02
A CRUISE FOR CORAL.
BY AMOS COMES.

'That's handsome head of rose coral
which you have there; very pretty bit.
1t cost you about twelve dollars, didn't
it2 And I'll wager the price of it that
can tell you exactly where it came from.
Fact is, think I've been on the very
spot where it grew"
My old friend, Captain King, was
spending the evening with me, and after
dinner We were looking over my monde
script collections, when the captains eye
happening to fall on this particular
specimen of coral, he had thus bantered
me as to its origin.
"You're little off on the price," l
said. "Ten dollars was what gave.
Now where did it come fromi''
"You think that shall say the South
Sea-" responded my nautical friend, with
a chuckc, cor else the Caribbean, or the
Gulf of California; but l shan't. That
cluster OF coral came from little group
of keys about thirty-fve miles due
west from Key West, called the Markeys.
Am | wrong or rightf"
Twas obliged to admit that he was
probably not far wrong. l had bought
it of two "Conches, who own schooner
which they run between New York and
the West Indies. The price they asked
was fifteen dollars, but they had sold it
for ten, and had told me that it came
from tie vicinity of Key West. ''But
there are no such islands or reefs as the
, Msrkeys," l added, consulting a map.
"No, the map name is Marquesas Keys,
but no one at Key West ever speaks of
them in that way. The fishermen and
! fruiters all say Markeys. Oh, ] know
about them for very good reason;
went there after coral once myself"
"Then this specimen of mine was not
q bad bargain at ten dollars, you thinkT
"A good bargain. Really, it was
worth the fifteen dollars the dealer asked
for it. You would say so yourself,
fancy, if you had TO dive in thirty
feet of water for it, and perhaps dive
twenty times before you got it up"
every likely, captain. But how came
you to 20 to the Markeys9 lou hav'
generally served in a rather different ca
pacity from that of diving fo- coral, if
mistake not"
True; but one sees all sorts Of for
tune, good, bad and indifferent in tn
course of lifetime. A few years ago
after the wreck of the fruit steame
Lucayos, found myself out OF q Job
and airift at Key West. Even then ther
was considerable trade in coral, sc
shell. and other marine goods from ths
port northward, and there made til
acquaintance Of two brothers name
Bannost, who owned sloop, and wer
cruising about to pick up such curios
ties fH shipment.
"They offered me dollar day and n
lions to embark with them on for
nights trip to the 'Markeys-s place
had never heard of till then; and as
knew Of fruit steamer, on which / o
pected to get passage to New York, TIL
was likely to put into Key West, boun
North, in the course Of three or fo'
weeks, l accepted the offer.
eve beat out of the port at sunri
the following morning, with pref
stiff nor'westerly wind Blowing, Whit
afterward ahifted northerly little, al
by four o'clock that afternoon dropp'
anchor among the Markeys.
These islets are nothing more than
lot of reefs and sand spits. Not one
them is large enough to be spoken OF
an island, but around them lie some
the choicest beds of coral in the worl
At any rate, have never seen anythil
90 beautiful elsewhere.
I'll 1.-THE Bannost DO s, whom went o
! with, had their collecting-boat ma
al with large pane of glass set in
I bottom, so that one man could he ae'
10 and place his eye - it. 4 slssr~ VI