CHAPTER YII. 



PEARLS. 



" Ocean's gems, the purest 

 Of Nature's works ! What days of weary journeyings 

 Wliat sleepless nights, what toils on land and sea, 

 Are borne by men to gain thee ! " 



^MONGr the rare and beautiful objects of cre- 

 ation may be mentioned Pearls, which rank 

 with the most valuable of precious gems, and 

 are highly prized as ornamental appendages 

 by the rich and the noble in all countries. 

 While admiring these jewels, you may not know, perhaps, 

 at what perils and cost of life they are obtained, for it is neces- 

 sary to seek for them in the depths of the ocean, and al- 

 though the divers employed for this purpose are very strong 

 and expert, still in the Indian Sea and the Eastern Arch- 

 ipelago, where the true pearl-oysters are found, sharks aro 

 numerous, and it is necessary to take every precaution 

 against those voracious monsters. This occupation w^as 

 formerly considered so dangerous that only condemned 

 criminals were thus employed, but many thousand persons 

 now obtain a livelihood by these means in the Persian Gulf 

 and at Ceylon. At one time, when the Dutch had possession 

 of this beautiful island, the number of large pearls obtained 

 there was considerable. 



These pearl-divers are a hardy race of men, singularly 

 adapted to their hazardous occupation, and very super- 

 stitious ; for before commencing operations, they consult 



