572 
MUSCLE. 
accidents should happen during the season.’ For- 
tunately for the conjuror the event answered his 
prediction, and no further damage was sustained 
from the sharks during the fishery of that year.” 
The divers are paid either in money, or with a 
portion of pearl oysters, which they take the chance 
of opening on their own account. The boats are 
hired in the same manner ; and the spirit of specu- 
lation, which has charms in all countries, makes 
them prefer the most uncertain method of the two. 
Many pearls are stolen by the persons employed to 
search the fish, who are sometimes suspected of 
swallowing them : when this is supposed to be the 
case, the merchants confine the men and give them 
strong emetics and purgatives, by which the stolen 
goods are said to be frequently discovered. 
When the oysters are removed from the boats, they 
are placed in pits about two feet deep, or in small 
square places fenced round for the purpose, and 
there suffered to die and rot. The stench occasion- 
ed by them, while passing through a state of putre- 
faction, is so great as to infect the air for a consider- 
able distance round the place where they lie : but 
this must be endured for the sake of the pearls, 
which might be greatly injured if the oysters were 
opened by force while they were alive. 
The black people are very expert in drilling and 
stringing the pearls which have been found during 
the season. Mr. Percival, who was much pleased 
with their dexterity, tells us that they use a ma- 
chine made of wood, resembling an obtuse inverted 
