They were secured by means of a trawl or scoop dragged from the stern of the lifeboat; and when the tide was low the men jumped into the shallow water and picked them up at their ease.
One morning, as I was opening the shells as usual, out from one dropped three magnificent black pearls.

I gazed at them, fascinated--why, I know not.

Ah! those terrible three black pearls; would to God they had never been found! When I showed them to the captain he became very excited, and said that, as they were worth nearly all the others put together, it would be well worth our while trying to find more like them.

Now, this meant stopping at sea longer than was either customary or advisable.

The pearling season was practically at an end, and the yearly cyclonic changes were actually due, but the captain had got the "pearl fever" very badly and flatly refused to leave.