Each diver seldom remained under water more than one minute, and on
coming to the surface he would take a "spell" of perhaps a quarter
of an hour before going down again.

As fast as each man brought his shells into the boat, they were put
into a separate little pile, which was respected absolutely, and
always recognised as belonging to its owner. The bed of the sea at
these pearling grounds is usually coral, with innumerable holes of
different depths and sizes dotted all over it. It was in these
recesses that the best shells were mostly found.

The marine vegetation down in these seas was always of extreme
beauty; there were stately "trees" that waved backwards and
forwards, as though under the influence of a gentle breeze; there
were high, luxuriant grasses, and innumerable plants of endless
variety and colour. The coral rocks, too, were of gorgeous hues--
yellow, blue, red, and white; but a peculiar thing was that the
moment you brought a piece of this rock up to the surface, the
lovely colour it possessed whilst in the water gradually faded
away. Some of the coral I saw had curious little shoots hanging
from its numerous projections bearing a striking resemblance to
bluebells.

The illusion of a submarine forest was further heightened by the
droves of gaily-coloured fish that flitted in and out among the
branches. Perhaps the most beautiful of all were the little
dolphins. The diving expeditions went away from the ship with the
ebb tide, and returned with the flow. Sometimes their search would
take them long distances away, and on one occasion they were
working fully ten miles from the Veielland. When the water