Pearling Life at the Present Day. 179 



the ship's papers, and to pay the duty of £\ per 

 ton on the shells obtained. 



A course was then laid for Macassar, and a 

 fair run made to Sapie Straits, but three more poor 

 fellows died on the way across, two of them within 

 twelve hours of their first complaining of illness. 

 This brought the total number of deaths up to 

 seven, and happily then all sickness disappeared. 

 Strange to say, these Sooloo men showed great 

 apathy at the loss of their comrades ; they made 

 no noisy lamentations over them, and as soon as a 

 body was committed to the deep, the occurrence 

 was apparently forgotten. Had there been a panic 

 amongst them, the deaths would probably have 

 been trebled, as many of the men showed symptoms 

 of the disease. Fortunately, there was a deck-load 

 of cows and sheep, which kept the men employed 

 and interested. The boxing gloves were also got 

 up, and the men were instructed in the art of self- 

 defence, in order to distract their attention, great 

 merriment being caused by many of the combats. 



At the entrance to the Sapie Straits the ship 

 was becalmed for six days, and the men had very 

 hard work towing the ship all day. Every after- 

 noon a little wind sprang up, and the unfathomable 

 straits were entered ; but after a couple of miles the 

 wind died away, and the ship being caught by the 



