﻿[11] 
  PEARLS 
  AT 
  TAHITI 
  AND 
  TUAMOTU. 
  363 
  

  

  obliged 
  to 
  take 
  great 
  precautions, 
  the 
  first 
  and 
  most 
  essential 
  being 
  not 
  

   to 
  dive 
  in 
  the 
  water 
  too 
  often 
  in 
  one 
  day. 
  To 
  neglect 
  this 
  precaution 
  

   exposes 
  the 
  fisherman 
  to 
  hemorrhages 
  arid 
  congestions. 
  After 
  a 
  while 
  

   he 
  becomes 
  accustomed 
  to 
  diving; 
  but 
  to 
  continue 
  this 
  practice 
  to 
  a 
  cer- 
  

   tain 
  age 
  is 
  apt 
  to 
  cause 
  paralysis. 
  

  

  Thus 
  far, 
  very 
  few 
  natives 
  of 
  Tuamotu 
  engage 
  in 
  fishing 
  on 
  their 
  

   own 
  account. 
  Most 
  of 
  them 
  do 
  not 
  possess 
  the 
  necessary 
  funds 
  or 
  the 
  

   requisite 
  spirit 
  of 
  enterprise. 
  Some 
  work 
  by 
  the 
  day 
  on 
  a 
  fishing 
  ves- 
  

   sel, 
  which 
  is 
  the 
  more 
  profitable 
  way; 
  but 
  only 
  those 
  can 
  do 
  this 
  who 
  

   permanently 
  reside 
  in 
  the 
  islands 
  near 
  which 
  these 
  fisheries 
  are 
  carried 
  

   on. 
  Others 
  hire 
  themselves 
  out 
  for 
  the 
  entire 
  season, 
  or 
  for 
  part 
  of 
  it 
  to 
  

   business 
  houses 
  of 
  Papaete, 
  or 
  to 
  the 
  captain 
  of 
  a 
  fishing 
  vessel. 
  A 
  

   diver 
  working 
  by 
  the 
  day 
  gets 
  about 
  a 
  dollar 
  a 
  day. 
  The 
  diver 
  who 
  hires 
  

   himself 
  out 
  for 
  the 
  season 
  makes 
  a 
  contract 
  with 
  the 
  person 
  or 
  persons 
  

   carrying 
  on 
  the 
  fisheries, 
  by 
  the 
  terms 
  of 
  which 
  he 
  has 
  to 
  give 
  up 
  all 
  the 
  

   products 
  of 
  the 
  fisheries 
  on 
  conditions 
  determined 
  beforehand, 
  and 
  in 
  

   return 
  is 
  furnished 
  during 
  the 
  entire 
  period 
  of 
  liis 
  engagement 
  with 
  

   food 
  and 
  other 
  necessaries 
  of 
  life. 
  In 
  carrying 
  out 
  this 
  contract 
  the 
  

   diver 
  is 
  sometimes 
  badly 
  imposed 
  on. 
  

  

  An 
  ordinary 
  diver 
  earns 
  from 
  about 
  $23 
  to 
  $29 
  per 
  month, 
  according 
  

   to 
  the 
  condition 
  of 
  the 
  sea 
  and 
  the 
  productiveness 
  of 
  the 
  oyster-beds. 
  

   If 
  ho 
  is 
  fortunate 
  enough 
  to 
  strike 
  a 
  bed 
  which 
  has 
  not 
  yet 
  been 
  sub- 
  

   jected 
  to 
  excessive 
  fishing 
  he 
  can 
  earn 
  very 
  good 
  wages. 
  There 
  are 
  

   some 
  who 
  in 
  one 
  week 
  have 
  gathered 
  about 
  $40 
  worth 
  of 
  mother-of- 
  

   pearl. 
  

  

  Diving 
  begins 
  in 
  the 
  morning. 
  After 
  the 
  vessel 
  reaches 
  the 
  fishing 
  

   place 
  the 
  necessary 
  preparations 
  are 
  made, 
  and 
  do 
  not 
  occupy 
  much 
  

   time. 
  All 
  the 
  clothing 
  of 
  the 
  divers 
  consists 
  in 
  a 
  piece 
  of 
  cloth 
  round 
  

   the 
  loins, 
  and 
  all 
  their 
  tools 
  in 
  a 
  pair 
  of 
  spectacles. 
  Intended 
  for 
  ex- 
  

   amining, 
  from 
  the 
  surface, 
  the 
  depths 
  which 
  the 
  diver 
  has 
  to 
  explore, 
  

   these 
  spectacles 
  resemble 
  those 
  used 
  by 
  calkers. 
  They 
  are 
  composed 
  

   of 
  four 
  pieces 
  about 
  1G£ 
  inches 
  long 
  and 
  about 
  11 
  inches 
  broad, 
  forming 
  

   a 
  small 
  chamber, 
  one 
  of 
  whose 
  ends 
  is 
  provided 
  with 
  a 
  glass. 
  The 
  other 
  

   end 
  is 
  open 
  to 
  admit 
  the 
  head 
  of 
  the 
  diver. 
  The 
  glass 
  side 
  is 
  held 
  to 
  

   the 
  water 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  remove 
  all 
  blurs. 
  As 
  the 
  waters 
  of 
  the 
  lagoons 
  of 
  

   Tuamotu 
  are 
  remarkably 
  clear 
  and 
  transparent, 
  a 
  skilled 
  fisherman 
  can, 
  

   by 
  means 
  of 
  this 
  simple 
  apparatus, 
  discover 
  oysters 
  at 
  a 
  considerable 
  

   depth. 
  Iu 
  most 
  cases 
  he 
  will 
  not 
  dive 
  into 
  the 
  depths 
  until 
  he 
  has 
  

   made 
  this 
  preliminary 
  reconnaissance. 
  

  

  The 
  Tuamotu 
  divers 
  may 
  justly 
  be 
  considered 
  the 
  best 
  in 
  the 
  world. 
  

   The 
  Hindoos 
  employed 
  in 
  the 
  pearl 
  fisheries 
  iu 
  the 
  Gulf 
  of 
  Persia 
  and 
  on 
  

   the 
  shores 
  of 
  Ceylon, 
  who 
  are 
  very 
  properly 
  considered 
  expert 
  divers, 
  

   cannot 
  be 
  compared 
  to 
  them. 
  The 
  Hindoo 
  diver 
  descends 
  in 
  the 
  water 
  

   by 
  means 
  of 
  a 
  weight 
  of 
  20 
  to 
  25 
  pounds 
  attached 
  to 
  his 
  feet. 
  His 
  belt 
  

   contains 
  also 
  7 
  or 
  8 
  pounds 
  of 
  ballast, 
  serving 
  to 
  keep 
  him 
  in 
  the 
  depths 
  

   after 
  he 
  has 
  rid 
  himself 
  of 
  the 
  first 
  weight. 
  He 
  stops 
  up 
  his 
  nostrils 
  

  

  