Then there is the common crew; the cook, the four chaps to man the pump in turns, two extra hands, nine or ten all told."
"Is the diving risky in these waters?"
"Yes
and no—anyway, it's no more dangerous than anywhere else. We lose no
more than two or three a week all told—Japs—Malays—Manila-men—the sea
ain't particular."
"Who dive the best?"
"Japs, you bet! Those little chaps have guts, though we don't like them."
"And what race makes the best crews?"
"There
ain't much to choose. The owners favor mixing 'em for greater safety.
You see the Manila-men, the Malays and the Japs could never pull
together in any dirty piece o' work. It shortens the chance of mutiny
considerably."
"What about your own black-fellows? Is there no room for them in the scheme of things?"
"No,
we don't work them on the boats or anywhere on shore. We're dead
against black labor. This is a white man's land, and don't you forget
it."
"But these others, Corporal, Japs, Filipinos, Koepang men —they aren't whites?"
"That's
all right. The law makes an exception of these northern parts, but for
pearling only. The colored men come in under contract and are sent out
again when their time's up."
"I
see. But haven't you a chain gang? Scores and scores of black-fellows,
your own natives, breaking stones on the roads? I've seen them myself,
working in a broiling sun with leg-irons on their ankles and chained to
each other; an awful sight!"
"Oh,
that crowd! Why, they're in mostly for killing cattle. That has got to
be stopped at any cost. But what's more important still, we must have
roads. Who's to make 'em? But don't you stand there criticizing our way
of doin' things!"
"Have another drink, Corporal," I said.
And
so I learnt that the diver's pay was thirty dollars a month plus
tucker; three dollars besides on each ton of pearl shell and 10 per
cent, on any gems. The crews, he said, only
