frequented parts of the coast, the divers plunge into these dangerous waters with an audacity that makes a spectator shudder, when he considers that they have no other means of defence than a piece of wood, sharpened at the ends, and hardened by fire, which they carry in the girdles of their leathern drawers.

It is well known that, from the peculiar formation of the lower jaw of the shark, in order to seize his prey he is compelled to turn over on his back. The diver takes advantage of this moment to thrust his weapon into his enemy's mouth, which prevents his closing his jaws. One species of shark alone baffles the skill and courage of the divers, and awakens in them that agony of terror with which the sight of an ordinary shark affects other men.

is

Every evening the produce of the day's labour is piled in heaps on the beach, and there, under the especial care of the captains, the oysters are left to open by putrefaction, which the heat of the sun soon accomplishes. When this process completed, the washing begins, almost in the same manner as for gold-dust. Wooden troughs are used for this purpose, and the washers eagerly examine the horrible mass of decomposition, which spreads far and wide its poisonous exhalations, and from it they extract the pearls. Some of these pearls thus obtained are not remarkable for purity of water and whiteness of tint, but are generally of a bluish hue, the largest ones even approaching a dark violet. These are principally used for mourning ornaments, and are generally pear-shaped. They are, however, of considerable value.

The fishing lasts two months, and at its termination all these nomadic tribes return in the boats which brought them.

The divers go into the towns to hire their strength to other masters; the witches to narrate the miracles wrought by their incantations; the buyers wander from house to house, disposing of their purchases at a considerable profit; the spirit vendors carry their wares to other markets; the tortoise-shell fishers bring to their owners the produce of their campaign, and the coasts are again deserted till the following summer. During this period the mysterious process by which the pearl is formed commences anew; heaps of mother-of-pearl shells whiten the beach in all directions. Formerly, homewardbound European vessels received a reward for clearing the beach of the shells, which they used as ballast; but later they paid a fee of two and a-half francs per ton. But now the Government makes it a matter of speculation.

It was the height of the season when we arrived in the Gulf, and the next morning, when I came on deck, I was struck with the animated scene displayed before me. Numbers of boats carrying flags of various colours, some crossing in various directions, others lying motionless, covered the surface of the sea; the former were carrying the fishers towards the open sea in quest of the tortoises which they hoped to surprise asleep on the water, while their companions spread nets in the most remote spots, in order to catch them when they came to feed on the various kinds of seaweeds which abound in these seas. The boats which were stationary were manned by divers, some of whom disappeared every minute under the water, then rose again, their eyes and features swollen with fatigue. They threw into the bottom of the boats the oysters which they had torn from the banks, laid down for an instant waiting for the return of their comrades, and then dived again. Some

were staunching with sea-water the flow of blood from their ears and nostrils, caused by long compression of the lungs.

From time to time hideous old women, half-naked, appeared on the summit of the promontories commanding the bay. These were the witches. They came forward, extended their fleshless arms across the waters, murmuring or chanting some mysterious words to lull the ferocity of the sharks. This animated scene, the leaps of the divers, the continued splashing of the waters, the various cries of encouragement or warning, the mingled voices of the sea and land, the lugubrious chanting of the witches, and from time to time the evolutions of a shark, marked by the appearance of the dorsal fin on the surface, offered a new and singular spectacle to a European.

The time came, however, for our departure, and I was not sorry when we turned the stem of our gallant ship towards dear old England.

CHAPTER VII.

MY RETURN.

E sailed out of the Persian Gulf on a lovely morning, and turned our faces homewards. The winds were light, so that we carried as much sail as we could-skysails above her royals, and all the little sails that could be

made to catch the wind. The ocean is the same everywhere, one vast expanse of blue rolling billows as far as the eye can reach; but in these latitudes the wind is soft, and fans the cheek, even in a pretty stiff breeze, like a zephyr. Then at night the stars of the southern hemisphere shine out with a brilliance unknown at home, and the moon looks through the slight haze with an intense and vivid brightness. By day the heat is excessive and the glare of sky and water scarcely endurable, but towards evening the air gets cool, and even sharp. Day after day we sailed on this fair ocean, till we again began to near the Cape of Good Hope. The weather now began to undergo a very sensible change, and we began to feel the strong Atlantic breezes. Presently we were obliged to alter our tack, and by the night of the