PEARL-FISHER ATTACKED BY A SHARK.
"The fisher for pearls in the primitive way has no apparatus beyond a stone attached to a cord, a basket slung around his neck to hold the pearl-oysters, and a knife to detach them from the bottom, and also to defend himself from sharks. At the moment of diving he fills his lungs with air and grasps the cord, and as he does so the stone is thrown from the side of the boat by his assistant. The weight of the stone carries him down; he gathers as many oysters as he can while the air in his lungs holds out, and then he shakes the cord as a signal to be drawn up. Sharks abound in the regions where the pearl is found, and not infrequently they seize the poor diver as he rises to the surface. His only mode of escape is by rapid movement; and you can readily see that he is at a great disadvantage, as he is out of his proper element, and in that of the shark.
"The diving-bell was the first invention to improve on the old process; it consisted of a wide-mouthed bell large enough to contain one or two men, who stood or were seated inside. If you put a tumbler into the water with the mouth downwards, you will perceive, as you press below the surface, that the air within keeps the water from rising."
The boys nodded assent to the captain's remark.
"In this way the air remains in the bell, and until it becomes foul the divers suffer no particular inconvenience. But as soon as it has been breathed so as to cause a sense of suffocation they must be drawn up, or they will die.
"Then somebody arranged an air-pump so as to connect with the bell, and by constantly working this pump the foul air was expelled, and new air came in to supply its place. By this process the men could remain some time below; but they could not leave the bell, and their operations were confined to the space covered by its mouth. It is a curious fact that the first diving-bell was invented by a spider, and not by a man."
"Invented by a spider!" the two boys exclaimed in a breath.
"Yes, invented by a spider," the captain continued.
"Why, how can that be?" Frank asked.