80 PEARLS [CH. 



The homeward race of a hundred or so ruddy- 

 sailed craft before a strong wind and over a tropical 

 sea is a very pretty sight. They are orientally 

 fantastic in colour and shape, and each deck is 

 crowded with men and boys, with shining brown 

 skins and brightly coloured cloths wrapped round 

 them. Each crew strives to get in first, because — 

 " first come is first served," and they who first dispose 

 of their loads are the first to be free to rest. The 

 load is counted and divided into three piles. An 

 official selects two piles for the Government, whilst 

 the other is divided among the divers. On their 

 way to their houses these divers are besieged by a 

 surging crowd of natives eager to buy from them 

 their oysters by the dozen or by the half-dozen, or 

 even singly. They may be observed stopping at 

 boutiques and paying their score with oysters, ex- 

 tremely acceptable to the shopkeeper itching to try 

 his luck. In a small way oysters pass current here 

 as the equivalent of coin. 



In the meantime those oysters belonging to the 

 Government have all been counted and at sunset 

 a great auction begins, the Government agent being- 

 seated at a platform looking after the proceedings. 

 He announces how many of the oysters are for sale 

 and puts these up by the thousand. Any number 

 of thousand, from one to fifty or even more, are 

 taken by individual purchasers or by syndicates. 



