He had heard there were such things as black pearls and that they were very rare and valuable. Had he stumbled across a treasure at last? He handled it tenderly. The pearl was perfect in shape, nearly the size of a pigeon's egg. It was free from blemish, he saw that even with his inexperienced eyes; there was not a speck on it, and it weighed heavy. He feasted his eyes upon it, wondering if it was genuine and what it was worth. He examined the shell again, but found nothing else; the black pearl, however, was sufficient, and he meant to give his comrades a surprise on their return. His luck was evidently in, for in the lot of shells he opened he found some of the largest pearls they had yet obtained. Some were curious in shape, being twisted into various designs, one was half black and half white, and larger than the pure black one. When he had finished his task, he cleared up the shells, put the pearls away, and sat down to have a smoke, lazily watching the dinghies in the distance. At last he saw them coming towards the schooner, and called the boy to ask if supper would be ready, as he knew they would not want to wait. The boats were heavily laden, and it took some time to put all the shells on deck. "You have had another good day," said Jack. "Splendid," replied Jacob, "and I think we had better clear out for Fremantle as soon as you like. We have several tons of good shell on board, and some hundreds of fair sized pearls besides the seeds. The trip will pan out well and Barry Tuxford will be satisfied. It will not be long before he sends here again with a better equipped lot of boats." "What do you say, Phil?" asked Jack. "We cannot safety put much more on the schooners," he replied, "and I think we had better knock off and clear out." "Then if all are agreeable we will get away at once." The others signified their assent, and it was decided to sail when all the shell had been safely stowed away in the two schooners. They were all smoking and chatting after supper when Harry Marton said,-- "You have not told us whether you had any luck to-day; did you find many pearls?" "Several," said Jack, carelessly, "some a good size and well shaped." "Let us have a look at them," said Jacob, and Jack went to fetch them. He took out the big black pearl and put it in his pocket. It happened that Kylis heard Jacob talking about leaving the bay, and he was anxious to learn whether the pearls were valuable. He saw they were all occupied and not likely to keep a sharp look out, and snake-like, he glided behind some of the pearl shell barrels until he was within earshot. The white crew were all at rest, as there was nothing more for them to do. He left Miah on the watch, and told him to make a peculiar bird-like cry if he saw any danger of discovery.