The boys were also pretty lucky to avoid the waves of inadequate surgeons who talked about attempting to separate the boys with everything from a hot wire to a saw. Thankfully for them, their mother knew that separation would be a fatal mistake and kept them well away from the knife.
Chang and Eng grew strong and fit and learned to run, jump and swim together. Their father had died whilst they were young so the two helped make ends meet by selling duck eggs, and it was during this work that they were “discovered”. A British merchant named Robert Hunter ran into them and saw an opportunity to make some money from the boys. He effectively bought the Siamese twins from their mother for $3,000 and the promise of the high life. Their mother only actually ever saw $500 of the money though.
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