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THE PEARL
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hang
in the water by one hand grasping the gunÂwale of the boat while they
examine the bottom for oysters through a glass which they hold below
the surface in the other hand.
When
shells are sighted the glass is discarded, the lungs are filled several
times and the air expelled slowly. Upon reaching a certain fit
condition a long breath is taken until the lungs are inflated to their
utmost capacity; the diver then suddenly lets go, sinks a few feet
below the surface, turns quickly and head-first swims rapidly to the
bottom.
Arriving
there, he pulls himself along by grasping the coral branches and
breaking the shells loose from their anchorage with his right hand,
which is protected by a cloth wrapping, and stows them away in a
cocoanut fibre basket slung over the shoulder. This done, he
straightÂens himself and shoots to the surface with astonishing
rapidity, seeming to leap up from the water as he arrives with almost
sufficient impetus to carry him into the waiting canoe. In a few
minutes he is ready to dive again. In some localities where divers were
employed the women were preferred, not because they could
184
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