Year: 1867

sides ftndcl or man acting as pilot. who nas an-
thority all the Others. Ten of the twenty men
divers; the Others attend on them pull the boat
and perform all other duties.


The oyster-banks of Condstchy are about enty


miles from the shore, and early on the evening Of
the 18th, more than than hundred boats were man
ned by anxiousiy awaiting the signal for them
start for their respective fishing grounds.
AT ten O'Clock IL the evening. gun was fired At
Arippo. Ii was a signal that the boats might
start. and setting sail to catch the land-breeze
then fairly on its way for the sea we started. |
hau consented to form one of the ten of boa. :
crew. whose duty consisted in managing the boat,
and looking after the divers. and. on first ex-
cursion out. Senor Mano. who had commanded the
brig. was tindal, or pilot.


We reached our station little before sunrise
and preparations were Immediately commenced for
business. The divers divested themselves of all
clothing, except small piece Of calico about the
loins. and to belt around the waist each fastened
a small net to hold the oysters. Each had piece
of iron, weighing about ten pounds. to which
tied a small line with loop in which foot could


be inserted. These weights were TO enable them 10
descend with greater rapidfy to the bottom: for as
they could only remain under water from one min
ute and half 10 two minutes, it was necessary that


no time should be lost on the way down.
One end of the small line attached to the weight
retained in the boat to enable Us to recover the


weigh, after the diver had reached the bottom and
withdrawn his foot from the loop. Although there
were ten divers in each boat only five went at
time. This enabled each to have rest, and still
kept the work constantly going on.


Each man, before going over, had placed around


his body, under the arms. line. by which he could


be pulled to the surface. the end of the line being


held by one of the crew in the boat and, as an ad,
ditional precaution against danger, line was
hanging from the stem Of the boat, and sunk with
a weight to the bottom.


With knife in hand. and firmly graspng the


nose with the other. five of our divers went over
the side and rapidly disappeared below. while


in boat ~ hat 70


bodies ran out clear. and stood ready to pull them
up should the signal be given for Us 10 do so.
This was the first work Of the kind bad ever
seen performed and the minute and a-haif. or more
in which we waited for the shaking of the lines.


which was the signal for us to haul up, seemed to
me period of nearly ten minutes


All came up within few seconds OF each other,
and each had not less than hundred oysters in


the net. The diver attached 10 the line was hold


ing was the first to make his pearance. and re
quired much more force in pulling him up than
what thought was necessary; but. as he reached
the surface the reason of this was Immediately


seen. He was hearing in his hands mass of oys-


tiers. adhering together. that he had succeeded in


detaching from the rock with his knife. The mass
cond not have weighed less than forty pounds
The other divers imme ediately went down, and in
this wav the work carried on until noon, the
divers having gone down about forty times each
. since the time they commenced in the morning.
The sea breeze had commenced OiowInS, anu We


started for the shore.


Thrs far we had been fortunate; and yet. there


was a possibility that in the many bushels of oys
tiers We had secured there might be pearl of the
value of shilling But with this possibility
there was another: the cargo we had procure


might be worth five or ten thousand pounds.
On reaching the shore the oysters were taken


from the boat put into pit. and then covered over
with mating and some earth. there to die and de-


compose. The shells would then he opened when
they would be picked over. and the pearls II they
contained amy would he extracted.


More than two thousand men had been at work
on the hanks that day. and many tons OF oysters


had been taken from their homes to die.
"Wbat' thought !. "can be the real caase OF all


this abor-ths waste OF time for substance that Is
OF no practical use OF mankind


To many of those had seen employed that Gay,
answ er to this question would have been very sim
ple They would have told me they were working
for money: hrt looked beyound THIS lor the real
cause of their toll.


The conclusion at which arrived may be wrong


perhaps worse-ungal!ant for all this wicked waste
of time ascrbed to the fact that ladies' have van


tv From the result of this infirmity thousands of
Others have to suffer. IL that the Law OF ma
ture. that from the mistOrtunes of a lew many must
suffer. applies to pearl-oy>tors, well As human
beings: for since being in the fishery, have
learned that only oysters in lllhealth produce
pearls: so the misfortunes Of the afflicted bring all
from their beds in the to the earth pits TO die.


In the evening after we had unloaded the boat,
many reports reached us of the events of the day.


All were favorable for the prospect OF good sea
son at the fishery. for we heard no complaint as to
want of success in procuring oyster. Other Ie-
ports however gave the fear that the business OF


procuring was to be followed with danger; tor we
heard of three or four encounters with sharks, in
one of which diver had been Killed


For each boat employed on the pearl banks.
there is priest hose business it is to protect the


divers from sharks. During the time the boats are
out these men are supposed to he engaged in pray


ers and other ceremonies thought necessary TOR the


protection of those who have employed them. The


pearl divers will not work unless there is some one.
either in the boat the shore. who Is paid by


their employers for protecting them from sharks.


The priests, con jurers, are called Pillar karras,
or "biuters of sharks and their eXertions IN be


half of the divers are certainly of great assistance
for the superstitious men place the utmost conh-


dence in their labors, and the absence OF fear Is
necessary in encountering any danger
The Pillar karras work very hard Tor the money
they receive for their services and the contorton of


their bodies and features, when engaged IN their


coniuratons or prayers is painful TO witness. FIRE.
ouenty when a diver is killed by a shark, the
priest employed to protect him from harm has to


make sudden departure from the scene OF MS Ia


bors, TO avoid the vengeance OF the lost man 5 COM


panions. who pronounce him an impostor lncapa'


BILE of commanding exercising I he power neces-
sary for protecting them from the enemy they fear
So great is the superstition of the pearl divers.
that each firmly believes his preservation from day
TO day is wholly owing TO the laoors OF The priest


They know that thousands OF SHARKS are cruising
the tropc seas wherever the business OF pearl div


ing is followed: they also know that this enemy tn
man and everything else is very hungry; and they


require further exercise OF reason to believe that
the shark binders have saved them from being
devoured.


The Pillar Karras generally remain on shore and
during the time the divers at work must be


constantly engaged in prayer. Should one OF the
Msrawas be seized BY shark. il is fully believed


hv his companions that at that particular instant
the priest was neglectnc his duty and that his
T thoughts for moment had been turned upon sinful


theme giving the shark opportunity OF seizing


his victim.


Before we had been employed on the pearl.bsn ks
a week. two incidents occurred that strongly con-


firmed the Marawas in their supersttious belief in


the power of their priests.


There was great commotion in boat lying
next To the one in which was employed. The line
attached tn one OF the divers commenced rapidly
running ont All who witnessed this knew the
cause and the MarawAs pulled TO the surface.


One of them never appeared again. He had been


taken away by shark The companions of the


lest man, having confidence in their Pillar kar-
ras. would 60 under water more that day: and


the boat returned to shore. the Marawas in IT.


sing their binder os sharks for what they thought


his crinina. neglect while those in boat seem


ed very grateful for the good fortune that had gvvn
them a coujurer whose incan:ations had protected


them from the evil that had befallen others near


by.


On reaching the shore in the evening. we heard
what The Marawas thought a satisfactory explans-


ton Of the reason why the diver had been lost.
I While enerCetically engaged in performing his
intv the Pillar Karras employed in protecting the


divers belonging to the boat from ich the man