ULLOA** VOYAGE TO SOUTH AMERICA. 38 1 



mg a fmall archipelago. The firft to whom the Indians made this valuable difcovery 

 was Bafco Nunez de Balboa, who, in his paffage this way, to make farther difcoveries 

 on the South Sea, was prefented with fome by Tumaco, an Indian prince. At prefent 

 they are found in fuch plenty, that there are few perfons of fubftance near Panama, who 

 do not employ all, or, at leaft, part of their flaves in this filhery, the manner of which 

 not being commonly known, it will not be improper to defcribe it here. 



The owners of the Negroes employ the mod proper perfons for this fifhery ; which /tcm-t 

 being performed at the bottom of the fea, they mull be expert fwimmers, and capable 

 of holding their breath a long time. Thefe they fend to the iflands, where they have 

 huts built for their lodgings, and boats which hold eight, ten, or twenty Negroes, under 

 the command of an officer. In thefe boats they go to fuch parts as are known to pro- 

 duce pearls, and where the depth of water is not above ten, twelve, or fifteen fathom. 

 Here they anchor ; and the Negroes having a rope faftened round their bodies, and the 

 other end to the fide of the boat, they take with them a fmall weight, to accelerate their 

 fmking, and plunge into the water. On reaching the bottom, they take up an oyfter, 

 which they put under the left arm ; the fecond they hold in their left hand, and the 

 third in their right : with thefe three oyflers, and fometimes another in their mouth, 

 they rife to breathe, and put them in a bag. When they have refted themfelves awhile, 

 and recovered their breath, they dive a fecond time ; and thus continue, till they have 

 either completed their talk, or their ft rength, fails them. Every one of thefe Negro 

 divers is obliged daily to deliver to his mafter a fixed number of pearls j fo that when 

 they have got the requifite number of oyfters in their bag, they begin to open them, and 

 deliver the pearls to the officer, till they have made up the number due to their mafter ; 

 and if the pearl be but formed, it is fufficient, without any regard to its being fmall or 

 .faulty. The remainder, however large or beautiful, are the Negro's own property, nor 

 has the mafter the leaft claim to them ; the flaves being allowed to fell them to whom 

 they pleafe, though the mafter generally purchafes them at a very fmall price. 



Thefe Negroes cannot every day make up their number, as in many of the oyfters 

 the pearl is not at all, or but imperfedly formed ; or the oyfter is dead, whereby the 

 pearl is fo damaged, as to be of no value ; and as no allowance is made for fuch pearls, 

 they muft make up their numbers with others, 



Befides the toil of this fifliery, from the oyfters ftrongly adhering to the rocks, they 

 are alfo in no fmall danger from fome kinds of fifli, which either feize the Negroes, or, 

 by ftriking on them, crufh them by their weight againft the bottom. So that thefe 

 creatures Teem to know that men are robbing them of the moft valuable produft of their 

 element, and therefore make a moft vigorous defence againft their enemy. The fifliery 

 on the whole coaft is obnoxious to the fame danger from thefe fifli ; but they are much 

 more frequent where fuch riches abound. The fliarks and tintoreras, which are of an 

 enormous fize, feed on the bodies of thefe unfortunate fifhermen ; and the mantas, or 

 quilts, either prefs them to death by wrapping their fins about them, or crufli them 

 againft the rocks by their prodigious weight. The name manta has not been improperly 

 given to this fifli, either with regard to its figure or property ; for being broad and long 

 like a quilt, it wraps its fins round a man, or any other animal that happens to come 

 within its reach, and immediately fqueezes it to death. This fifli refembles a thornback 

 in ftiape, but is prodigioufly larger. 



Every Negro, to defend himfelf againft thefe animals, carries with him a fliarp knife, 

 with which, if the fifti offers to affault him, he endeavours to ftrike it in a part where it 

 has no power to hurt him ; on which the fifli immediately flies. The officers keep a 

 watchful eye on thefe voracious creatures, and, on difcovering them, fhake the ropes 



Q faftened 



