| Show HOW SPONGES ARE GATHERED Scribners Scrib neri 1 arrived at what he be fancies any 02 ty prove a profitable ground the captain of a sponging schooner obo oner ends out oat a boat to investigate meantime standing and aad on until a discovery is reported then all bands band save only the cook or if she be is ii a large vessel the captain and cook tumble into small gaall boats boata and the fishing it if fishing it can be called is begun the vess vemil l has hag towed astern tern just half as a many boats boata as aa she ahe has men in her crew and now two men are as a signed to each boat one of them stands well aft and sculls boulto with a long oar while the other bonds bendri low over one of the be gunwales gunzales gun wales in a most constrained position and with his bis head buried in a water glass glase eagerly scans the bottom as aa be is moved slowly over it the water waler glass aglais is 16 simply a wooden bucket having a glass bottom that la Is hold held an inch or so below the ruffled and in these clear waters plainly reveals all submerged objects object to a depth of forty or fifty feet As a fur iber aid in overcoming ripples rippled or moderate waves each small boat is provided with a bottle of oil so hung over the bow as to slowly drip its contents into the water through bis magic glass the observer sees darting fish richly tinted sea faus fans and feathers branching coral boral gor gorgeous 9 bous emones anemones an bristling sea nea porcu ainee ines and the myriad other curious crants tenants of these tropic waters while seeing eeling this ibis he be makes no sign until a small email dark object that to the untried eye differs in no respect from the loggerheads logger heads surrounding it comes within his range of vision then without removing his gaze he be reaches for the long handled sponge book or rake lying behind him and using it with one h hand nd quickly tears from the bottom a black slimy mass man that b he tr antly pronounces to be a wool or grass sponge of the first quality |
