144 THE OUT-STATION ; OR, 



depends on the shape and transparency of a pearl in 

 its value. 



But determined to make a profit or loss in our own 

 private dealings, each officer might be seen sitting 

 outside his barrack-room every morning with about a 

 couple of hundred oysters piled on one side of him, 

 and a bucket of water on the other, backing his lot, 

 to the amount of his day's pay, to contain more pearls 

 than that of his neighbour, while the witnessing the 

 avidity with which every one wrenched open his 

 oyster, in hopes of treasure, was most amusing. 



Formerly the government used to keep all these 

 oysters itself, and have them opened in the store by 

 men chosen on purpose, instead of selling them by 

 auction; but these fellows got so expert, that even 

 although they were closely watched, they would 

 manage to jerk a pearl from the oyster-shell into their 

 mouths without being, detected, and swallow it ; a 

 proceeding, however, if discovered, that entailed a 

 very summary mode of punishment under the hands 

 of a native doctor. 



The oysters that are not sold are placed in 

 the reservoir before-mentioned that stands in the 

 store, and here they die and open of themselves. 

 The pearls then immediately drop from them, and 

 are carried by the water continually flowing through 

 the reservoir into the gutters, until they are caught 

 by a small gauze network, through which the water 

 passes, leaving the pearls behind, and they are then 

 picked up in large quantities. 



