places. Some of the barks have two divers each, and some but one.

You will understand that the oysters are in deep water. Some of them are sixty feet below the surface. Now, it is necessary for the pearldivers to descend thus deep into the water, detach them from the rocks, and bring them up.

To prepare himself for this business, a diver ties to the under part of his body a large stone. This is for the purpose of keeping him steady in the water. He also ties another stone to one foot, for the purpose of making him sink quickly to the bottom.

His hands are covered with leather mittens, so that the oysters may not cut his fingers. He is provided with a net-work bag to put his oysters in; and a rope is tied to his neck, one end of which is fastened to the boat. Thus equipped, the fearless diver jumps into the water.

How does a pearl-diver prepare himself to descend into the water?

Down he goes to the bottom. As he has no time to lose, he runs about, as fast as he can; seizes upon every oyster he finds, and puts it in

his bag. He is obliged to hold his breath all the time. But these divers get the art of remaining under water for two or three minutes. Some of them remain even for five minutes.

How long is a pearl-diver able to remain under water?

BB

When the diver has held his breath as long as he can, he shakes the rope, and the man who is in the boat pulls him up, with his load of oysters. Generally, a man will get fifty oysters each time. Sometimes he will get one hundred, and even two or three hundred, at a time.

You must not suppose, however, that all these are as large as plates; some of them are much smaller. An expert pearl-diver will make forty or fifty plunges in a day; so that the number of oysters one man will take in a day is very great. Sometimes these men stuff their noses and ears, to exclude the water; but, generally, they take no such precaution.

There are a good many sharks along the shores where the pearl-oysters are taken. Sometimes they catch the pearl divers, and devour them. These men are, therefore, very much afraid of sharks. If a diver sees one of these

How many oysters does a diver get at a time?

dreadful fishes, he communicates the fact to the other divers, and they will not go into the water again that day.

If you are afraid of meeting a shark, deep down in the waters, I would advise you not to become a pearl diver.

After the fishermen have caught their oysters, they put them into pits dug in the ground, and cover them over with sand. In this situation, the oyster opens, the flesh decays, and the pearls drop out. They are then taken up, and the sand, that is mixed with them, is sifted.

Such is the process of pearl-fishing. The beautiful inside coatings of the shells in which these pearls are found, are called mother-ofpearl.

What do the fishermen do with the oysters, after they are taken? What is mother-of-pearl?

CHAP. XLIX.

STORY OF LA PEROUSE.

No sooner have I done telling you one tale, than I am ready to enter on another; but after wandering about the world so long, no wonder that I should have picked up a number of interesting stories.

I am going to tell you about a celebrated French voyager, named La Perouse. The king employed him to go on a voyage of discovery into the Pacific Ocean.

In the year 1785, he set out with two ships, and proceeded to the Pacific. He first came along the coast of America, and stopped at various places. He saw a good many of the Indians, and traded with them for various articles. He saw Mount St. Elias, which, I believe, is the highest mountain we have in North America. Its top is always covered with snow.