HOW SPONGES ARE PROCURED 



from point to point ? But the man at the top, it must 

 be remembered, is a fisherman, and the sense of touch of 

 a man who has to do with lines acquires a subtilty that 

 might almost be compared to a musician's "ear." Un- 

 consciously he follows every one of the diver's movements 

 hither and thither, and, in ninety-nine cases out of a 

 hundred, could be relied upon to haul up at the right 

 moment without any signal at all. 



The diver is now lifted into the boat and gets his 

 breath while the next man goes down. I have seen it 

 stated that whenever these fellows come to the surface, 

 blood flows from their mouths, ears, and noses. How 

 many gallons of blood do the authors of such a statement 

 suppose a man can afford to lose in the course of a day ? 

 As a rule, once and once only does a Mediterranean diver 

 expect to bleed in this manner, and that is when he goes 

 down for the first time after being away from such work 

 some months as, for instance, on the first day of the 

 season. What is more, the divers regard this as not only 

 a healthy sign, but as a sign that they are fit for their 

 work. Indeed, if any man should find that bleeding 

 does not then occur he will not attempt another descent 

 that day, nor will he start regular work till he has 

 bled. 



The dressed diver's performance is a far more preten- 

 tious affair, for, as the reader is aware, he must be sup- 

 plied with air all the time he is down ; also, the lowering 

 and hauling of a man to whose natural weight a dress 

 weighing a hundred and forty-seven pounds (ten stone 

 seven !) is added, is a very different matter from dealing 



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