Answer:
It was unbeknowst to Kino that all the pearl buyers in town works for the same buying organization and pretend to be competitors to fool the natives.
Step-by-step explanation:
'The Pear' is a novella written by John Steinbeck. The novella is about Juan, a pearl finder, and his family.
When Kino decides to sell the pearl he found from the sea, the news came to the buyers of the pearl. The author, here, describes how these buyers decides in one accord to keep the price of pearl low, and appear to be competitors before the people. The buyers were agents of but one organization, who sets these agents against each other in the market to fool the natives.
So, this fact was not known by Kino but revealed to the audience by the author.