garded
as of great value and have, therefore, been eagerly collected by kings
and princes. Many pretty legends have arisen from this fact, especially
among the rajahs of the East. An interesting example of this
spontaneous and interesting literature of gems has been handed to me by
Mr. Nissen, and is as follows:
The Origin of the Superstition that Pearls Bring Tears
The
Princess of Travancore, who was stolen by a Rover of Kandy and lost in
the storm called down upon his ships by a potent Brahman, is the
heroine of the tale. Her body was recovered and with it came a great
gift, as the legend thus relates.
Now,
when the elements were at peace again, the King gave orders that
certain fishermen of his people who were expert divers should explore
the bottom of the sea where the ships of the Rover were destroyed. One
of these discovered the body of the Princess and brought it to shore.
And when they prepared it for burial the women found fastened upon one
of the hands a shellfish, the two shells of which had closed upon a
finger when it fell between them as they gaped. And when the shells
were pried apart there rolled from between them a round bone, white and
shining, and yet of a luster so soft and beautiful
