The Sooloo Archipelago. 139 



on their part ; in the same way a Sooloo man will 

 say he can do thirty fathoms ; and when challenged 

 as to the possibility of such a statement, replies 

 " Well, I can do fifteen fathoms down and fifteen 

 up again. Is not that thirty ? " 



The Sooloo Pearl-shell banks are worked by 

 natives of Sooloo only, and there is no European 

 engaged or even interested in the industry. There 

 is very htttle shell in Sooloo waters under nine 

 fathoms, but this is not of much consequence to 

 the divers, as they seldom make more than fifteen 

 dives in the course of a morning. On good ground 

 a fair diver can obtain enough shell in five or six 

 dives to support himself and his family for a month,, 

 and for the rest of the month he generally leads an 

 idle life. Slaves have to go out more frequently and 

 dive oftener, but even their day's work is far less 

 than what a white man would expect from a man 

 to whom he paid wages. 



Every shell is opened on being brought to the 

 surface, and the oyster, after being carefully searched 

 for Pearls, is placed in the sun to dry for food ; 

 a thin piece of bamboo, and not a knife, is used to 

 open the shell. 



The loss of life from sharks is not great. 



