226 TROPIC DAYS 



for we had often talked of the possibihty of being 

 rewarded with a fortune-bestowing gem. 



"Yes, indeed, I have; and a real beauty. I ver^^ 

 much doubt if you, for all your experience, ever saw 

 such perfect shape and fine lustre. Here is an instance 

 of the perversity of Chance. You, tied up in a rubber 

 bag, rake the floor of the Barrier, fighting sharks and 

 being hustled b}'' turtle, and never find anything out 

 of the way. I stroll about the beaches, and see what 

 Fortune bestows !" 



The size of a small marble, it lay swathed in white 

 wadding. Minute furrows sculptured the surface in 

 radiating lines from pole to pole, enhancing rare radiance. 



The captain took the little casket in his hand that 

 he might gloat over the treasure, as, his eyes shining, 

 he said : 



"You lucky fellow 1 Where did you get it ? I 

 never saw a finer pearl, and I have seen a few in my 

 days. Fair numbers have passed through my hands; 

 but — you fraud !" 



He lifted it, revealing a counterfeit, which had once 

 ornamented a hatpin. 



In good-humour he settled down on a lounge and 

 gradually drifted into reminiscences. 



"About two years before what I am going to tell 

 you happened, I heard of a patch of shell off an island 

 Sud-Est way; I kept the tip to myself, determined to 

 work the spot on my own account if ever I got the 

 chance. I waited till I saved a few pounds, and, taking 

 in a mate, fitted out a craft, and with a crew of very 

 fair boys sailed away. I found the spot all right; but 

 — my usual luck — someone had been there before me. 

 Strange to say, the spot was by no means worked out, 

 though it was fairl}- good ground and easy working, 

 and the shell large. We did good business for a while, 



