90 THE OYSTER. 



stition and ignorance. A Hindoo or Parsee blesses the 

 Trater to drive away the sharks ; a diver may be fright- 

 ened or ill, and the holidays are so numerous, that the 

 actual work-days amount only to thirty in the season. 



The boats assembled sail at ten at night, a signal gun 

 being then let off. They then set sail, reach the banks 

 before daybreak, and at sunrise the divers begin to take 

 their *' headers." They continue at this work till noon, 

 when a breeze starting up, they return. The cargoes 

 are taken out before the night sets in, and the divers 

 are refreshed. 



Each boat carries twenty men — ten rowers and ten 

 divers — ^besides a chief, or pilot. The diners work five 

 at a time alternately, leaving the others time to recruit. 

 To go down quickly they use a large stone of red 

 granite, which they catch hold of with their foot. 

 Each diver holds a net-work bag in his right hand, 

 closes his nostrils with his left, or with a piece of bent 

 horn, and descends to the bottom. There he darts 

 about him as quickly as he can, picking up with toes 

 and fingers, and putting the oysters into his net-work 

 bag. "WTien this is full, or he is exhausted, he pulls the 

 rope, and is drawn, leaving the stone to be pulled up 

 after him. "When the oysters are very plentiful, the 

 diver may bring up one hundred and fifty at a dip. 



After this violent exertion, blood flows from nose, 

 ears, and eyes. The divers cannot exceed generally one 

 minute's immersion. One and a half, and even two, 

 have been reached by extraordinary efforts. Those who 

 can endure four and five minutes are spoken of. One 

 also we are told of — an apocryphal fellow, we should 



