130 THE KII COAST. 



water, and is collected by women. At low water 

 numbers of boats put out from the villages, having one 

 man and eight or ten women in each. The man manages 

 the boat, while the women strip, and drop quietly into 

 the water. Each woman has a tub, which floats 

 on the surface, until filled by the owner's repeatedly 

 diving, and bringing a handful of weed up at a time. 

 These women remain under water about thirty seconds, 

 and on coming to the surface float about as much at 

 home as a lot of seals, diving again in a very short time. 

 In fact they seem far more like some water-nymphs 

 than bipeds belonging to terra firma. During the few 

 seconds they rest they whistle a queer, plaintive note, 

 the effect of which, when there are several score of them 

 together, is very strange. For two hours or more will 

 they stick to this work, then coming on shore stand 

 and squat round a huge fire, lighted on purpose, in 

 some sheltered nook. Here they chat and bake their 

 olive-coloured bodies to a good brick-dust red. If the 

 tide suits, they again go to work for another hour or 

 two, or even longer. 



The reason given me by these divers themselves 

 why women, and not men, were always employed in 

 collecting this sea-weed, was rather novel. Formerly, 

 in bygone days, men did dive for it, as the women do 



