| Show Pearl Diving a Gamble I Natives AI Along g the Persian Gulf Gul Walk the Seas Sea's FI Fi at Twenty Fathoms Picking Up Shells i The Commuters were telling telling- fish storie sto sto- rie ries The Englishman who is visiting a married daughter in Jersey listened with wih the normal Englishman's Interest in sport Much of ot a fisherman yourself asked one of the commuters commuters Wel Well I d dont don't nt go in for it now I never saw a tarpon of a a. muskellunge I but Ice Ive Ive landed a salmon or two in my time said the he Englishman modestly modesty Then he added added- Ive Ive seen queer fishing though and once I caught a fish that I sold for 1500 The commuters looked impressed They had been testing the elasticity of truth a a. trifle themselves What were you fishing for asked the most curious Peals said the Englishman quietly That was outside of ot the commuters' commuters preserves so they quieted down It was a long time ago the Englishman Englishman English English- man went on one but it was good sport I think I I preferred it to salmon fishing Im I'm Im unpatriotic enough to like the far East better than th the thO Scottish country I was born in India Give me a blue sky and ana a broiling sun and a a. sea bluer than the sky I hate your gray worlds I was sent home to my grandfather when I was a a. youngster but as soon oon as I grew up and was my master I began began began be be- gan globe globe I trotted into a good many way the corners the most of them in Asia Southern Europe isn't so bad in the summer time Did you ever go coral fishing down on the coast of Corsica or Sicily No well wel that has its is picturesque features too And I suppose you never fished for sponges Ive Ive gone out with wih cora coral coial an and sponge fleets but once I spent a whole season with wih on the banks in the Persian gulfI gulfI gulf I hadn't any idea of ot staying there when I happened happen d along I was traveling with a couple of jewel merchants I had had seen pearl fishing on the Ceylon banks The gover government ent ran things down there there you know but the Ceylon haul had never equaled the Persian harvest Anybody Any Any- Anybody body could fish in the Persian gulf gul The divers came from all al along the coast but the rights of the different outfits were defined by custom The boats stuck to their limits the Pirate Coast boats to theirs Now I tell tel you the pearl business is the largest lottery speculation I ra raup rap ran up against It beats eats the Derby an and ana Monte Carlo and your national game of poker Merchants fakirs fakira fakir speculators all al flocked to the pearl district in season seaon sea sea- son on Nobody knew what he was getting if i he bought the oysters unopened They were worth about 2 2 a hundred in that I state You might buy a carload and get I nothing Then Then again I t knew of M nil ig who bought small amaH basketfuls of o on and found enough pearls in the themE them 1 them up tip p In life le Sometimes the divers diver received r starvation wages More of often n th 1 1 a a. certain share of the oysters oyster Uc tn there a a. fixed scale A man man paid according to his skill ski Th Th were of or different size ten to to ti tons There w were re usually o of them on the banks from June to 10 and I remember the year jearl 1 there the value of ot the annual haul estimated at between HoO and andE sterling Ordinarily ten men noes with wIh a boat and took along five bIg bli ing stones When they reached reache fishing grounds they anchored and ad 1 the men stripped and went over side Then the diving stones fat fatto fail faste to ropes were lowered from the I IThe IThe The diver stopped up his nose wish w or wax drew a long breath breth set OM tie On on the diving stone and held the ther The chum in the boat let the stoat stOr Tip Tip down down to the bottom You You'll III all al sorts of wild stories about the their IK Ir of time these chaps will wi stay undo unde water but they are fairy fair tales who knew told me that ninety s sec as was the limit and that there ther mighty few divers who could sta start t for a minute Only two of my could beat bea t forty seconds But to go back to my old pilot piot rather enjoyed a row raw with wit a shark shar always always- always carried a knife He had a sir al' I sons and trained them all to the thee the i like fish They were dropped In as asas a asi asias as they could toddle and nd their Ii t wouldn't have any foolishness lie He Hep them regular lessons and no matter J they suffered down they had to t bl I Every on one of them had his ear di ruptured by deep diving At AtlOW 1 a years of age those boys could go g go d d. d twenty five twenty fathoms and they I a i chase coins down into deep deeo rate wal I catch to them before they touched bt One of the sons was at Ibl w was as there there there-a a fine villainous villainous lookin low and the b best st diver on the t tAfter bids bk z zAfer After the boats were full ful of 0 i a the men would take them to on one 1 islands and hand them over to lh 1101 th H chants selling their share 1 opening them and taking their etc et of ot making nothing The men noes I opened the oysters for the owner 0 lot of stealing of ot course althOU were all al watched They were I lO woe woe-I fully clever at hiding a good p pa pOat t r they found one and swallowing was one of their favorite tricks tricks j I there were all aU sorts of fraud WOt wor wow the fakirs mock pearls palmed c. c 1 good pearls lost by b heaven knows what besides fa faI a aI I didn't make my fortune that i i imer mer In fact I think I came caine ed ou about ahead of the game m ma bal n na a generous amount of b rubbed against queer things thing and I a people New New York Sun J |
