I did not know much of the value of pearls then--how could I, having had no previous experience?
Captain Jensen, however, assured me at the end of the season that we had something like 50,000 pounds worth of pearls aboard, to say nothing about the value of the shells, of which we had about thirty tons.

It must be clearly understood that this is Captain Jensen's estimate--I am utterly unable to give one.

The oysters themselves we found very poor eating, and no one on board cared about them.

Some of the shells contained one pearl, others two, three, and even four.

One magnificent specimen I came across produced no fewer than a dozen fine pearls, but that of course was very exceptional.