A PRIBNI^LY SIEGE. 



175 



about the sovereigns of the lands I had descril>ed, 

 and, like a good Mohammedan, expressed his confi- 

 dence that I should speak well of the Sultan of Tur- 

 key, whom he appeared to regard as the next in au- 

 thority to the Prophet himself. 



The nest day I went westward to Waai, where I 

 obtained many specimens of the great Ti'ochm rmr- 

 nwraius, which lives in abundance a little farther 

 toward the northwestern end of the island, but ca^ 

 only be procured alive during the opposite monsoon. 

 Its beautifully marbled, sea-green surface, and bright^ 

 pearly interior have always made it a favorite orna- 

 ment for the parlor in every land. Many, mshing to 

 improve on Natui'e, remove the green outer layers 

 either by hydrochlonc or nitric acid^ so as to give 

 the exterior also a bright nacreous iridescence. Hun- 

 dreds of the heavy opereula of these animals are 

 found on the neighboring shores, for Nature has pro- 

 vided each with this thick door, which, after it has 

 withdrawn itself into the shell, it can close behind it, 

 and thus be free from all hann. 



On my return I found my house besieged with more 

 tban two hundred of both sexes and of every age, from 

 infancy to second childhood. Each had a lot of shells 

 to sell, and therefore the prices were very low ; but 

 I was careful to pay them more than they could earn 

 in any other way in the same time. ' The women and 

 childi-en on all these islands are accustomed to gather 

 moUusks at every low tide for food, and whenever 

 any particularly rare or beautiful shell is found, it is 

 always saved ; and it was for this reason that I was 

 always confident that I could obtain some valuable 



