Miah grunted curiously, and then said—
"We can hide pearls, you can be sure of that."
"If they find you out you will have a bad time, so you had better be careful," said Amos. "Anyway, I suppose you will go?"
They both assented, and he said—
"If you find good pearls and bring them to me, I can get a price for them. You cannot do so, therefore it will be to your interests to hand them over to me."
They nodded, and understood perfectly well what he required of them. There were many ways of hiding pearls on a schooner, and expert divers had but little difficulty in concealing them.
The pearl fishing in Shark's Bay proved so unsatisfactory that Phil Danks strongly advised a move to the north-west.
"Hooker was about right," he said. "The place is worked out; we shall have no luck here, and it is a waste of time."
It was eventually decided, after a consultation, to clear out of Shark's Bay and make tracks for Jacob Rank's bay, where they hoped to find him, and many pearls as well.
This decision was communicated to Amos Hooker, who made it an excuse for not getting more than two divers to go with them.