Page 77 - Records of Bahrain (3) (ii)_Neat

The pre-war economy: pearl fishing, 1899-1915 493

2230

(singular, Mufliqali aiUi* ) under the personal superintendence of the
Nfikhuda, who takes charge of the pearls as they arc extracted, and
registers their weights and descriptions at such intervals as lie considers
necessary. • Of the shells, only the best—that is to say some 3 or 4
percent, of the whole—arc kept, and. the remainder are returned to
the sea along with the juvenile oysters, - the latter unopened but unlikely,
it is believed, to survive a separation of 16 hours on the' average from
their native element. The process of opening the oysters is unpleasant,
owing to the smell and to the insects which it sometimes attracts.
The divers, before they commence operations for the day, arc allowed
a light meal of half a pound of dates and a few cups of coffee each.
Once they have entered the water, work is continued without intermis­
sion until Dhuhr (in the pearling season about 1-30 or Z p.m.) when it
is suspended for prayers, a few cups of coffee, and an hour's rest; nor is it
again interrupted, after being resumed in the afternoon, until the
approach of evening. Soon after Maghrib or evening prayers the
divers take a substantial meal of fish, rice and dates, and then, after a
little smoking and coffee-drinking,.retire to rest for the night.
The Ghais, before entering the sea, strips off his clothes, places a pair
of horn pincers called Fa tarn {plural. Aft-amah ) on his
nose to compress his nostrils, plugs his ears with cotton-wool, or bees'
wax, and puts on leather finger-stalls, called Khabat bai (singular,
Khabatah ) to protect his fingers from abrasions; he also
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attaches a small bag or Diyln (plural, Diyain ) of coir
matting to his person, by hanging it round his neck or fastening it to his
waist. To aid him in his descent he has a stone or lead sinker weighing
10 to 14 lbs.; this is fastened to a rope called Zaibal choj (plural,
Ziyabil ebbj ), having above the weight a noose, in which the diver
places his foot and so is lowered to the bottom of the sea; a second
rope, called Ida IojI (plural Ayadi ovsbl ), is fixed to
his girdle and is u*ed to raise him to the surface again. On reaching the
bottom the diver removes his foot from the noose in the Zaibal, which is
immediately hauled up by his attendant Sail), and proceeds to grope his
way along the bottom with one hand and one foot, using the second foot
to propel himself and the disengaged hand to collect oysters within ’ hie
reach, and place them in the Dlyin. It is said that the oysters are gener­
ally found. open-mouthed, but close up when approached. ‘When he
cannot hold his breath any longer, the diver signals to the Sail) by
jerking the Ida to which he clings, and is immediately pulled up to the
surface and relieved of the shells he has brought. The shells gathered
by a Ghais in a single plunge or Tabbah (plural, Tabbat olu )
generally number from 3 to 20 ; sometimes however he returns entirely
empty-handed. The time occupied by the plunge is usually from 40 to
75 seconds, but only a few divers can remain below water for more than
one minute.* In the intervals between plunges, the Ghais, unless the sea
is rough, rests in the water, supporting himself by an oar or by a rope
which hangs over the side of the boat. The same diver will make as
* In Coy Ion it was obsorved that few divers romained more than niinules
below, and that none reached *2 minutes; 16 oysters was apparently an ordinary
number for a diver to bring up with him.