Page 129 - English Expedition Class 6

number of men on wages. Th ese men are skilled in the art of diving and fi shing for the oysters that
enclose the pearls.
When the men have got into the small boats they jump into the water and dive to the bottom,
which may be at a depth of four to twelve fathoms, and there they remain as long as they are able.
And there they fi nd the shells that contain the pearls, and these they put into a net bag tied round
the waist, and mount up to the surface with them, and then dive anew. When they can’t hold their
breath any longer they come up again, and aft er a little while they go once more, and so they go on
all day.
Inside the shells are found pearls, great and small, of every kind, sticking in the fl esh of the
shellfi sh. Many of the pearls obtained from the fi sheries in this gulf are round and have a good
lustre . Th e spot where the oysters are taken in the greatest number is called Bettelar, on the shore
6
of the mainland; and from there the fi shery extends sixty miles southward.
Th e fi shery commences in the month of April; and lasts till the middle of May. Aft er this period,
the stock of oysters on the ocean bed is exhausted. Th e vessels are then taken to another place that is
a full three hundred miles distant from this gulf. Here they commence in the month of September
and continue till the middle of October.

6 lustre: a soft glow on the surface
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