Adventure, June 1911 — page 100: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

286 Janu. 15—To-day Charlie made a kill on a large shark—é Ja Kanaka. We were an- cliéred over a reef and Ahtdi, To-weé and myself were diving for the shells, while Charlie was opening them. The rocks of the reef were thick with shells, yet they were depressingly healthy and hence free from pal Ahtt and I sat naked on the bow, taking a blow and rest, when To-weé dived for the rocks underneath. We saw his “streak” go down to the bottom. Charlie ‘sat naked, smoking and opening the pearls with a long knife. All at once he spit out his pipe and dived for the boy. I then saw the shark. I grabbed a harpoon and poised it for a throw, but before I could cast, Charlie was alongside the shark’s upturned belly. I saw a sudden whorl under the water, then the shark shot up into the air, with a great rip in his belly. To-weé and Charlie came up together, the first sputter- ing with fear, the latter cursing because his pipe had gone overboard. “The —— pipe is black,” said Charlie. “The —— reef is also black, now it vill be —— to fine dat pipe!” | ~— Well, after repeated dips we found it, but we took no more shell that day. -Theshell of the pearl-oyster is from four to seven inbes across. The base or hinge of the shell is a'at, straight line, from which the body of the shé.bulges like three quar- ters of a full moon. The pearl is found either in the stomach of he oyster or in its outer feeding-fringe. In te first case the pearl is likely to be large anudustrous; in the latter, small and of less meit. Not over one pearl in a hurfdred has a nape perfect enough to give it much value. At one side of the “hinge” a tuft of coarse hvisd=ain. ' Adventure “must ’a’ swum,” or the island was once part of the mainland. “Saint Pathrick”’ is badly needed on San Lorenzo. Once clear of snakes, it would make a great place for an Irish picnic, and an Orange-Catholic affair of great spirit could be arranged, if ‘‘hand-sized”” rocks mean anything. After due reflection, I withdraw the above, as whisky is as scarce as true charity between society ladies. Coming back, we found an old camp and some human bones. From the gold-filling in the teeth of the skull we thought it must be the skull of a white man. Poor devil, I suppose a rattler bit him. _ Jan. 2tI—We have had four dreadful days of rain and wind. Time after time I thought we were gone and, but for Charlie’s fine sea- manship and our faithful. bailing, we should be with the fishes. We have four lives and $29,000 in gold aboard, so it would be’a double pity to swamp in a storm. I am tired beyond words! Jan. 22—We are short of drinking water. The storm battered our water-cans until some of them have holes in them. We have only four great cans that are still water- tight. We are now four drinkers in’ lieu of two. The storm*‘blew us across the Gulf and. left us at the southern end of Tiburon Island. We are now beating up the channel between the island and the Sonora coast. The wind is good, but a fierce tide is running against: us, so that for the last few hours we are at a standstill. If the wind holds, we ought to get north like an express, when the tide changes our way. We have seen several Seri Indians, who seem to be watching us from the cliffs of- their island. Ahtdé declares that~nese In- dians areceanilvass ariu tat they are treach- like tentacle protrudes from the inside of the shell. It is with this coarse hair-like ten- tacle that the oyster adheres to his native rocks. A large oyster will test the strength of a strong man to dislodge his hold; a sud- den, quick jerk will do the job, however, so soon as the knack of jerking under water is learned. There are tricks in all trades, even under the water. Jan. 16—We took a hunt to-day on San Lorenzo Island. As Pete Kitchen says, “It was chiefly a hunt—and a pore ketch!” A few seagulls gave us a mournful ha-ha as we passed them. Outside of this, it was chiefly a rattlesnake hunt. The island is full of them, and how they got there is a job for a Philadelphia lawyer. Either they erous and cruel beyond words. This is un- fortunate news, since we are compelled to land on the north end of the island for water. The chart shows no other water within one hundred miles, so we must take the risk. If they, buzz around us too close, we will try some of Dr..Colt’s and Dr. Winchester’s pills on them. Jan. 24—We are now exactly opposite the spot where the chart shows fresh water. We have also divided the last sup of water, at breakfast. We held a council of war and decided to land for water and take chances. We can’t get back to the coast of Lower California at Vistacio Bay, for the wind is dead in the west. If we keep on north for the Colorado River, a change of wind may- Go JOO ANG S COL