Little Falls weekly transcript. (Little Falls, Morrison Co., Minn.) 1894-19??, 1899-11-21

comes 10 pass. .\ellucI eApeIlS uOI Idy-
men nor even the Moros themselves are
familiar with the extent Of the pearl
shell banks along the hundred or more
small islands of the southern portion Of
the Philippines. That they are scattered
over a large territory is testified to by
the natives, who sell small quantities of
shell and many pearls to Borneo and
Chinese traders. That some banks are
very extensive has been well determined
by the rich Chinese merchant Captain
Tiana Of Jolo, who has for eight years
held the exclusive concession from the
sultan to fish for pearls by means of div
/, ing suits in the Sulu archipelago.
The sovereignty Of the islands was os-
tensibly Spain's; the real sovereign was
the sultan. TO make pearl fishing posi-
BILE for foreigners or Spanish subjects it
would have required a double concession
and boats armed with Calling guns.
Spain would not give foreigners who had
the daring to fish concessions because,
dog in the manger' rs she was, she
feared to lose a good thing she could not
herself develop. She dared not work
them herself or give concessions to Span
ish subjects, as that would have provok
cd war with the sultan. who claimed
the exclusive right to farm out the eX
panse of ocean where the rare nacre
shells lay.
Any clear morning at Nahum, the sui
! tan's capital. when the brcezcs just ripple
the open eXpanses of blue waters and the
distant islands Of green rise above the
sea in mirage. ono may see Il gauuy fleet
Of hundred small boats put out. one by
one or in groups. from the little land
locked harhor. The square sails Of red
and brown and yellow create bizarre COM
binations Of color with the serene blue
sky and water and the vivid green's Of the
volcanic isle behind. They carry hum
drrls Of Moro pearl fishers to the shall.
low coral reefs five miles away.
Whit n motley crowd they are, in their
garb Of Haunting hue. thin legged. broad
shoudcrcd, with ugly knives in their
sashcs.. Some are padding with strong
strokes in their desire to be first on the
grounds; others. careless Of the future.
prone upon the narrow deck or comfort
ably lounging with backs against the
bamboo structure Of the outriygrrs. puff
ing palm wrapper cigarettes or with
mouths filled with the bctel nut, let the
seductive zcphyrs blow them onward to
q short day of labor.
Later in the day q line Of boats two
miles long and several hundred in nul1-
bcr--for they have been augmented by
arrivals from Tapul and Lugus islands
are anchored over the fishing ground.
The men stand nude upon the gunwales
of the boats. ready for the dive, perhaps
with a corded basket at the wrist and a
short, heavy knife, with which to fight
sharks and fishes or pry some clinging
shell from its hiding place. One feels
deep sense Of disappointment at finding
that they jump feet first into the limpid
water instead Of going down with grace.
III headlong plungcs.
There he goes. The bubbles obscure
lin for a moment. and then you see him,
not feet first now, but head downward,
swimming toward the bottom, with bold
full arm strokes. His body, strangely
forcshortcned through the veil of water,
slowly fades from view, and you watch
for his temperance. One minute has
gone: it seems FIVE. Two minutes are
past. and your heart throbs in your
breast with excitement as mental pic
lures Of desperate struggles with un.
known monsters in those briny depths
are injured up. You peer into the wa
ter anXiOusly, expecting to see bloody,
lifeless corpse come bobbing Imply to
the surface, to sink again forever.
Two minutes and 30 seconds, and the
watching Moros grin at your evident agi-
tation, pointing with extended fingers at
an object rising slowly through the wa
tiers. It Is the man, not coming up like
cannon ball. as you thought he would,
but swimming hard, MS If 1t we're a diff
cult task to get to fresh air once more
The boatmen reach beneath the water
and grasp him, pulling him into the boat
by main strength.