The Confessions of a BeachcomberBanfield, E. J. (Edmund James)
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The Confessions of a Beachcomber
Banfield, E. J. (Edmund James)
Dunk Island (Qld.); Natural history -- Australia -- Queensland
"I bin deck hand on pearling lugger. To be spell about with wind pump.
Sometimes I work on dinghy. Two or three times I dibe--not much dibe.
I carn stand that work. Not strong for that so heavy work. One morning
Boss he set me on to clean out dinghy. Too much rotten fish. You see, when
diber bring shell up, Boss he open ebery one--chuck meat along dinghy.
That dinghy, I tell you my yarn proper--close up half full stinking
meat. I chuck that stinking meat ober-board along my hand. Close up
I bin finish I catchem stinking meat like this. Hello! I feel 'em
something! My heart he stand--he carn go. He stop altogether. I carn look!
feel 'em beeg. I look! Ha! Beeg, beeg pearl! Round like anything.
White like snow. Pretty--lobley. My heart inside go ponch, quick like
that, I hear 'em jump along my shirt. No one look out. My pearl!
I whistle for nothing; put my pearl easy like I find nothing in my
pucket. Go on my work, steady. Heart jump about all the time. Chuck
em out those stinking meat. Ha! First time I feel something--one pearl!
Beeg, but no all the same like nother one. One more time chuck stinking
meat. Ha! one more pearl! White, long like small finger here. My heart
easy now. I think my good luck come. I say my prayer to Allah! I work
hard. I finish that boat. Chuck gem out stinking meat, wash her down.
My three pearls inside my pucket.
"For one week I neber say nothing. My good friend, my countryman from
Aden, Ali. I tell 'em I find one pearl. Now, Mister, I tell you
straight--neber tell nothing. You hab one good friend, one countryman.
You lobe that man, your good friend. But you no tell 'em nothing. I
made fool myself when I tell 'em. I big hoombug of myself. Two days, I am
pulling dinghy up to lugger. Big Boss he on board schooner. I see him
look me. Quick I think, 'Hassan, you make of yourself a fool. You lorse
you white pearl!' He sing out 'Hassan!' I gammon I neber hear 'em. Sing
out loud 'Hassan! You, boy! Come here!' I pull up to lugger. He sing
out. 'Come here quick! I want talk you!' 'All right, Boss, I come, I
go longa lugger first time!' He savage. Call out smart--'Come here, I
tell you! Come quick!'
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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