The Pearl Fishers

, you could take every individual fresh oyster and hunt under its beard; but you know how an oyster sticks to its shell even after it is opened, and you can fan

on and trade room of the old Tonga. We have cleared the way pretty well, but I've been so busy catching stores in the bush that I've never had tim

pearl business b

er la

n, but I have never had any luck. I once had my ha

to look at, not enough trees to give any amount of copra. It had done a little business in sandalwood in the old days, but that was all gone. But the place wasn't deserted. T

the second time we called on the chance of picking up a little copra. Lefarge was the old man's name

be content to spend his time fishing and sittin

the reef to the main lagoon he said that was forbidd

he only one thing I could suspe

his, and whatever it held, and we were peaceful traders, not pirates. So, when we had loaded with

[Pg 55] was his name-began to swear, for we were bound for the Marquesas, which are French, and we'd have to alter our course and lose consignments and tra

d up his ears. Then, when I had been talking to him about te

vinced-won't see, till all at once, when he does see,

everything to gain, rushed up on deck. In less than five minutes the schooner

French were not much in favor just then; they had Noumea tacked on to their name, and the ordinary sailor loves a bit of a fight or any break

the second day, and were anchored

ns, who came out of the frame house set back among the bushes.[Pg 56] They thought we had sickness or something on board, for they made no offer to

with their rifles, and Schuster and I came up to the old man and his

, and there, sure enough, in a big safe, were the pearls. We had searched the prisoners and taken their keys from them. The

hts, and that the best thing we could do was to land the prisoners and take the pearls. We did not want prisoners. I pointed out to him, also, that we wer

it would be much better just to take it and be than

ould," s

y legalized? You have a letter of marque and you ar

ivateering has ceas

every bit as legitimate as fighting behind naval guns. However, Schuster thought different about our case. He said he would ta

ng on for night, so we held off and on till morning, and when the pilot came aboard we gave him news of the war, and several canoes that had put out sho

d for a light

and lager beer, and so on, and Schuster was in the middle of a speech when the sound of a gun brou

when we explained he told us that there was no war, only a lying rumor.

said nothing, and the governor said nothing, and it was fortunate they held[Pg 58]

at it was done. He judged, and judged rightly, that Lefarge would make no trouble afterward, simply because he would not want to advertise the existence of his island. He made them a present of a few cases of Califor

themselves, Lefarge singing 'Deutschland, Deutschla

d fighting, and t

et themselves go, and they are all p

ack to their isl

he business, to say nothing of the provisions and loss of trade. He said he wanted to sink the mail br

thing; her copper was already dull green, and the barnacles, long[Pg 59] dead, showed up like bosses on the copper green like it, as though the

prung up from the knightheads; all forward of the great breach in her side the planking was loosened from the

ship out of water is dead, and death means corruption. On the reefs and beaches of the ocean you will see wrecks, carcasses

nga, and made their way down th

d was reflected by the varnished pine paneling and by a strip of mirror still absolutely intact. The table in the center was still

he ship's money and papers, the nautical instru[Pg 60]ments, charts, and books; what remained was mostly private property, and there was not very much of it. Som

he lot back into the old man's cabin; they'll be as safe there as anywhere, unless another b

ain hatch. The damaged side gave them ample

ontents piecemeal; but, having only Isbel to help, and no very urgent incentive to the work, he had done comparatively little. Now, with the pro

nd when, after an hour's work carrying stuff across the coral,

to get the money raised, and it may be six months after we are taken from here before we can get back, maybe longer.[Pg 61] Then the chap that finances this bu

start on our business-who knows? Who knows that a likely ship may not call here with some man in charge of her who would join us in the venture? I would sooner have a decent shipowner in it than some American or Australian financier. You never know what may occur, and here is a lot of stuff that may save the situation when the time comes. No, we have got to get it safe, and get it safe we will, not only provisions, but as much of the trade as we can manage. It's

o pearls in those oy

ed Schumer, "and there are sure to be pe

ng to shirk any work that may be useful-and when do you

d no pearls, it would take the heart out of us, and, more than that, the hope of finding pearls when we do go will put the heart into us.

d said nothing up to this moment of abandoning the oyster business for a week and putting all their energies into the salving of provisions and trade-he had been thinking out the whole plan in silence. He disliked the labor of

us exercise, anyhow, and it's better t

ing Schumer in energy. They

nveying small goods piecemeal in extemporized baskets; it was a business also of

s for some reason or other, possibly as a big rain pond, though that supposition seemed negatived by the existence of the natural well that lay in the western border of the grove. However, it had been formed there. It was almost a pit, a hundred yards long, shelving toward the ends and densely protected by trees to

t time, though they had done much, they had not done

s the most laborious and trying. They had removed the rifles, fifty in number, from their cases, and stored them with the ammunition in a separate cache; they had four navy revo

cache these-he dealt wit

e; it's only good to sell, and we have no customers for it, and don't want them. It's dangerous stuff to ha

ight not be in the way. The air stank with the fumes of the filthy stuff while the smashing went on. Isbel helped, the in

and flashing teeth it seemed to him that despite all the labors of the missionary here was an atom of f

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