A FRIENDLY SIEGE. 175 



about tlie sovereigns of the lands I liad described, 

 and, like a good Mohammedan, expressed Ms confi- 

 dence that I should speak well of the Sultan of Tur- 

 key, Avhom he appeared to regard as the next in au- 

 thority to the Prophet himself. 



The next day I went westward to Waai, where I 

 obtained many specimens of the great Troclius mar- 

 moratuSj which lives in abundance a little farther 

 toward the northwestern end of the island, but can 

 only be procured alive during the opposite monsoon. 

 Its beautifully marbled, sea-green surface, and bright^ 

 pearly interior have always made it a favorite orna- 

 ment for the parlor in every land. Many, wishing to 

 imi^rove on Nature, remove the green outer layers 

 either by hydrochloric or nitric acid, so as to give 

 the exterior also a bright nacreous iridescence. Hun- 

 dreds of the hea^-y opercula of these animals are 

 found on the neighboring shores, for Nature has pro- 

 vided each with this thick door, which, after it has 

 withdrawn itself into the shell, it can close behind it, 

 and thus be free from all harm. 



On my return I found my house besieged with more 

 than two hundred of both sexes and of every age, from 

 infancy to second childhood. Each had a lot of shells 

 to sell, and therefore the prices were very low ; but 

 I was careful to pay them more than they could earn 

 in any other way in the same time. The women and 

 chihlren on all these islands are accustomed to gather 

 mollusks at every low tide for food, and whenever 

 any particularly rare or beautiful shell is found, it is 

 always saved ; and it was for this reason that I was 

 always confident that I could obtain some valuable 



