6 THE SOUDAN. three days on board ship. Time passing, we had to put an end to our roamings and return to the ship, which sailed soon afterwards. While waiting to start, we had an opportunity of seeing the wonderful diving powers of the Maltese, who, helped by the clearness and buoyancy of the water, rapidly pick up the shillings and sixpences that are thrown down, before these have sunk to any depth. They showed their real powers by diving under the ship from one side to the other without any apparent difficulty. It is evidently a regular trade, and the divers get very sharp about it, as they will not go down for anything but silver. They know the glint of the latter very well, and though a gentleman on board threw down a well- burnished farthing, no one would go after it, for all knew that none of the passengers would throw them gold. The clanging of the bells is another curious circumstance. The Maltese have a supersti tion that this ringing drives away the devil, so they go at it as fast as they can, without reference to time or tune. By-the-by, this is just the contrary to the Mussulman idea, who think that ringing brings the devil, and therefore have no bells in their mosques, but call to prayers by means of men shout ing from the minarets. The Maltese themselves do not as a whole bear a very good character, though a great many work very hard indeed, and become respectable members of society; but there is no doubt the scum of the Mediterranean population is com posed of Maltese, Southern Italians, and Greeks,