The San Francisco call., 1906-10-07
| G, THE GEMS % CHANCE

diving the native places MS root N
a loop on the stone. allowing the
weight to carry him to the bottom.
where the stone Is cast aside. leaving
the diver free with his net or bag. to
which is fastened the end OF the double
rope The stone is pulled up and taken
in the boat. thus keeping up the con-
nection.
The diver takes his basket. lies nat
on his face and sweeps the oysters
rapidly into the bag. and when he has
secured enough or can remain down
no longer he gives the rope strong
pull to give himself an impetus upward
and then floats to the surface while his
comrades haul in the oysters
When the days work IS over the nset
starts shoreward. and. taking advan-
tage of the freshening breeze. Up go
the long spider-rigged masts with their
wide-winged sails. and the sharp-nosed
boats slip noiselessly landward.
When the pearl feet reached shore
the poems with a squad OF Malay ride
men cleared an open space between
them and the crowd on the beach so
as to allow the unloading OF the boats.
which was at once begun The oysters
were divided on the sand into four
equal parts. three OF which went 70
the Government while the remaining
fourth Is shared among the boatmsn.
the divers and the boat owners. the
divers receiving rather more than the
others All the Government oysters
are carried in baskets to large bam-
boo Enclosures. where they are kept TO
be sold at auction on the following
day. The ishermen's fourth Is either
auctioned or kept by the owners. who
sell the pearls after the fsh are cleared
OF them. the chance taker always keep
ing his oysters and when able to do 50
buying from his fellows who want the
money and ara willing to sell cheap.
The pearl oyster auction II urdoube-
edly the most uncertain form OF chance
taking known 60 man The hazardous
result OF these sales may be seen at =
glance, as one large oyster may contain
q pearl OF great pricss another may
have . full half-dozen gems OF value,
while the next 100 may contain moth
ing. AS many as 200 oysters have been
opened without finding q single pearl.
Wealthy traders from all over India
attend these salss-jswsI merchants.
who only purchase the pearls from the
lucky dndersS fishermen planters and
many poor natives with small sums
scraped together at every possible cost:
men who have begged or borrowed the
means OF bidding at this intoxicating
auction: men who have left their moor
famished families without the means
OF obtaining a mouthfuI Of rice. who
tore the gold bangles and earrings
from their wives and children to deal
In this maddening trade.
Some return rich beyond their most
extravagant expectations, but many
r either go back ruined. beggared and
broken-hearted. unable to pay their
loans, or fee in horror TO strange lands,
having lost the means OF replacing
moneys taken from sources OF trust.
All this is certain at every pearl nsh-
ing. and Is not to be prevented
Some conception Of the immense
mass OF oysters which lay putrefyfna
on the burning sand at these times
may be formed by the estimate that
trip from ten to twenty thousand
oysters, making a daily total OF from
one to two millions for the whole feet
The oysters are not opened, but placed
either on the hard sand or on floor
OF cement and allowed to rot IN the
sun. When the pulp is sufficiently de-
cayed 1t Is passed through a fine screen
or pressed out in heavy cotton bags.
This process gives extra lustre to the
pearl and none Is lost or broken. as
would be the case IL the oysters were
opened as If for food.
The regular brokers. not satisfied
with the chances Of the regular action.
often corner the catch from certain
parts OF the beds. which they sell and
resell often at prices so high that
nothing but finding gem of unusual
size and lustre can give the speculative
purchaser a profit. The pearl fishery
auction is the stock market Of the Far
East, and woe to him who is not on
the right side OF it.
The natives OF India believe that
the pearl is either the tear Of Buddha
or CONCEALED dew drops which the god
showers on the sea, and that the oys-
ters catch them while floating on the
water. and the priests get many char
ity oysters in the hope that the next
season will be rich in pearls as a re-
ward for the faithful who contrtbuts
f0 the TEMPLES.