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Show FEMALE DIVERS OF L - Women Who Begin at 13 "" 'r for Pearls In the C' , Waters. ,Xp' yi'nV' The pearl divers of ' "C - en Along the count ofAj,., and the Hay of Kok A " and fourteen-year-old ' have lluMied their . -u'ol work, go to sea and leur tj toVe. They are in the water and learn to swim almost from babyhood and spend most of their time In the water eicept In the roldest season, from the end ol December to the beginning of Febru ary. F.ven during the moot Inclement of seasons they sometimes dive tor pearls They wear a special dress, white un derwear and the hair twisted up Into a hard knot The eyes are protected by glasKcs to prevent the entrance of water Tubs are suspended from the walHt. A boat In command of a man Is assigned to every five or ten women divers to carry them to and from the fishing grounds When the dlvera arrive on the grounds they leap Into the water at once and begin to gather oysters at the bottom The oyters are dropped Into tubs suspended from their waists When the vessels are filled the divers are rained to the surface and jump Into the boats Tbey dive to a depth of from five to thirty fathom without any special apparatus and retain their breath from one to three mlnutea Their ages vary from thirteen to forty years and between twenty-five and thirty-five they are at their prim Oriental Review |
