JAUNTS IN THE JUNGLE. 143 



beach, to see that the oysters are not appropriated by 

 any one, before being sold by auction, or placed in 

 the government store. 



This is a large quadrangular space, guarded by four 

 lofty walls ; the floor being an inclined plane, intersected 

 with numerous gutters, through which small streams 

 of water are continually running from a reservoir, in 

 which the oysters, not sold by auction, are placed to 

 rot and open. 



As soon, however, as the oysters have been landed, 

 as many as possible are put up in small lots and sold; 

 and a very amusing part of the business it constituted, 

 being a complete lottery, as one might purchase five 

 pounds' worth of oysters without being recompensed 

 by a single pearl, whilst the private soldier investing 

 his penny or twopence in the purchase of half a dozen, 

 might find a prize valuable enough to purchase his 

 discharge, and keep him in clover for the remainder 

 of his existence. 



I recollect one man (an English corporal) coming 

 to me with a pearl he had extracted from his penny- 

 worth of oysters, which was as large as a cherry- 

 stone, and for which he asked me five shillings. As 

 I believed I could get the owner at least 500/. for it, 

 I persuaded him to forthwith accompany me to a pearl 

 merchant in the bazaar, who, on examining it, offered 

 forty rupees (4Z.) for it. Unfortunately, it was a 

 black, discoloured, pearl, although perfectly round. 

 Had it been white and transparent, he said he would 

 have caught at it for 10,000 rupees (1000/.), so much 



