The Wenatchee daily world. [volume] (Wenatchee, Wash.) 1905-1971, 1910-12-30


mon practice-among the rich need |
less to say-to powder a pearl and |
swallow it, either as tonic for fail |
Ing vigor, or to ward off impending
bad luck. A maiden may rub her
eyes with a pearl, and thereafter she
may gaze on any man and by her
mere glance make him her slave
Black pearls, however, are to be
avoided, for Arabs see in them some
sinister manifestation of the powers
of darkness. Wealthy Arabs have
chains of pearls, or prayer beads
such as are carried by pious Mos
lens. l saw one such string worth
tidy fortune.
In Bahrein's tumultous past many
famous pirates, princes ana poten-
tates have prowled her pearling
grounds. Sinbad's treasure island
Hormuz, lies but short voyage to
the southeast. Down the coast is
picturesque old Maskat, so long the
haunt of the Portuguese buccanner,
Albuquerque. acknowledgements, he
whose famous realm lay just to the
north, was no doubt a collector of |
Bahreln pearls, for it is known that
he maintained a regular service of |
high popped "baggalows" between
Babylon and the Persian gulf. All
over Bahrein are found the ruins of
d persisted civilization, of a later date
than that of the Phoenicians. Who'll
are thought to have come, originally, |
from this pearl island. Scientific ex-
cavation of these old ruins NAV re-
veal wealth of knowledge to arch |
aeologists. A strange natural phe-
nomenon is the existence, some miles
out at sea from Bahrein, of numerous
springs of fresh water. Natives take
waterskin dive from the pearling
boats in the region where these |
springs abound, and fill their goat |
skins with pure, fresh water, faith
oms below the seas surface.
The people of Bahrein are a mixe1 |
lot, attracted from all over the East |
by the peculiarly hazardous, but Of |
ten extremely profitable pearling in
dustry. The Shia sect of Moham-
medans, usually fanatical lot and |
ayerse to business relations with |
foreigners, is probably in the ma
Jorlty. But because ever mans mind |
is on pearls in Bahrein. no time is |
found for argument over religious
questions. These Shias, many of |
them dressed up handles from Tehe- !
ran and Maskat, are eager bidders |
against the willy Hindus and the as
tute Pharsees, who also flock to this |
island bazaar.
Much inland trade for the little
known Arabian provinces of Haza |
and Nejd passes through Bahrein, en-
route to the mainland. From Kow-
cit on the coast-where the Germans
still hope to end their famous Bag
dad railway--camel caravans go |
inland, over the great trackless
wastes of the interland
Warfare is often waged among !
the different Arab Sheiks along the |
pearl coast. and often the British !
gunboat that patrols the Gulf takes |
a hand and helps to settle the dis
pute. Over forty Arab "dhows"
were sunk near Bahrein a few years
ago by one little gunboat when the
coast Arabs invaded Bahrein. Sew
eral of the Sheiks own small steam
vessels, usually the gift of some for
eign power. The contrast of an
cient and modern is most striking.
Think Of an aged patriarch sacrifc-
ing a sheep. la Father Abraham
and smearing its blood over the
door to seal a vow; then, five min
utes later, sitting cross-legged beside
his kneeling camel and listening to
the raucous voice of a graphophone,
made in New Jersey! l saw this in
cident at Mohommereh, on the Per.
sian coast.
Tragedies and crimes, very often
strange and mysterious, spring from
the hunt for pearls. Near Menameh
while opening oysters, a slave was
seen to put his hand into his mouth.
He denied having swallowed a find,
but in an instant the Arab "Tiniall"
(foreman) was upon him, knife in
hand. The Abysinnian protested his
innocence when ordered to disgorge
| the pearl. A fight ,ensued, the diver
was killed; in an instant, almost, the
warm body was cut open, and a pear!
| of unusual size removed. One COM
| mon superstition is that after a
| lucky season, the crew must throw
| one of the pearls back into the sea,
that next years finds may also be
valuable. 1t is not on record, how
ever, that this practise is strictly OBJ
served.
A tale is told at Howell of a mar
velous pearl of supernatural power
owned by man of mystery who lives
in mud hut all to himself, on the
outskirts of this wild Arab town
With this stone he locates lost trea-