158 Pearls. 



they are inclined to be sullen and morose and dive 

 for hours without speaking a word ; indeed, the 

 quantity of shell brought up varies greatly with 

 the disposition prevailing among the men, the happy 

 mood generally producing the best results. A kind 

 of freemasonry exists between the men, and at 

 times they agree amongst themselves not to bring 

 up shell, although they are well aware that failure 

 to do so, will not lesson the necessity of their 

 pretending at least to seek for it, and at the same 

 time will entail a loss of the small benefits that 

 they receive for a successful day's work. 



A notable instance of this fact occurred with 

 the divers of four vessels. These men, although 

 on what afterwards proved to be good ground, 

 persisted for days in declaring they could find no 

 shell. At length, the vessels left for other ground, 

 and shortly after another craft with Malay divers 

 came upon the vacated ground, and secured a large 

 quantity of shell, that was found stacked in heaps 

 at the bottom by the divers of the other vessels. 



These aborigines possess fine constitutions, and 

 contrasted with the natives to be seen in the 

 southern parts of Australia, are of high physical 

 development. There is but little sickness amongst 

 them, but they are unrivalled adepts in simulating 



