ST. AUGUSTIN TO BAHAMA ISLANDS 285 



many a jewel. It is the Bahama islands, next after the 

 Bermudas, which are the most famous in America as 

 furnishing the best and most skilful divers. When 

 they sail about among the islands to look out sunken 

 wares, in order to see more clearly through the water 

 they make use of a square box at the bottom of which 

 is set a common pane of glass. This device serves 

 merely to prevent the rays of light coming from the 

 side, enabling the eye to catch more readily those 

 springing from the deep. I make scruple to mention 

 the depths to which it is said that some of these people 

 can see, because the claim appears to me improbable, 

 and I have not been present at any test of the kind. 



In the wars carried on by England with Spain and 

 France the Bahamans have commonly been much ad- 

 vantaged, finding their greatest gains. They fit out 

 many large and small privateers, and through their 

 exact knowledge of the West Indian waters with all 

 their nooks and corners, have made great profits in 

 playing hide and seek with the enemy's ships, surpris- 

 ing them, and taking them in. Then there are many 

 ship-wrecks besides, and the crews of such vessels, 

 less concerned for their cargoes than for their own 

 liberty, often leave behind them much wealth which 

 they could easily save in times of peace, and all this in 

 consequence falls into the hands of the industrious 

 Bahamans. 



The extraordinary clearness of the sea-water which 

 is observable everywhere about these and the other 

 West India islands, if there is no discoloration by 

 land-streams and the depth itself is not great, offers 

 very much in furtherance of this species of search. 

 By going out in a small boat among the little islands 



