Long ropes hung down from the top of the cliff, and on each rope, a teenager wearing a camouflage uniform dangled. They carried large baskets on their backs and held sharp military daggers in their hands, skillfully picking swiftlet nests.
"Why are they all children?" Pauline Briggs asked curiously as she watched the nest pickers.
Adrian Desmond replied, "These minor tasks like picking swiftlet nests are just right for children."
In Adrian's view, picking swiftlet nests was simply "playing," and it was best suited for children.
"Isn't it dangerous?"
"What danger could there be in picking a few swiftlet nests?"
Pauline looked at the high cliff; to her, it screamed danger.
"Are their families very poor? Why would they agree to let their children do such dangerous work?" she asked, her voice brimming with sympathy.
"They are all orphans. They have no parents."
"That's so pitiful, isn't it?"
