“We don’t have to worry about that yet,” said Bob. “Chances are we won’t see a crab all afternoon. It usually happens that way, it seems to me.”
But contrary to this prophecy the boys saw many crabs. There was a wide, shallow inlet where the ocean had worked a way in back of the beach for a considerable distance. At high tide the water here was several feet deep, but at low tide it was anywhere from six inches to a foot. Many crabs were washed in here with the tide, and remained after the tide had gone out. They had a way of hiding under bunches of seaweed, and when dislodged would go scuttling away along the sandy bottom for dear life. It looked easy to drop the crab net over one of these awkward creatures, but the boys soon discovered that it was more difficult than it appeared. The crustaceans exhibited a surprising nimbleness, and in addition, when they were in imminent danger of being captured, had a trick of suddenly changing their course and darting toward their pursuers with claws waving and giving every evidence of being willing and able to do battle.
The boys were in their bathing suits, and as they waded barefooted through the shallow water, they found the sport more exciting than they had anticipated.
“Gee!” exclaimed Jimmy, making a wild dash for shore, after a sudden but futile sweep of his net into the water. “That fellow was after my toes as though he meant business. I’d about as soon tackle a cage full of wild tigers as these man-eating crabs.”
“Stick to it, Jimmy,” said Bob, as he deftly scooped up a struggling crab in his net. “At the worst you’ll only lose a leg or two.”
“Yes, and what’s that to the pleasure of having nice fresh crabs for dinner to-night?” said Herb. “You don’t go at it in the right spirit, Doughnuts. Just watch—yeow! ouch!” he ended, with a yell, and kicked out wildly with one foot, to which a crab, a determined and stubborn crab, was clinging.
Joe, who was nearest, lashed at the clinging crustacean with his net, and caught the creature fairly in the middle with the iron frame. The crab dropped back into the water, and Herbert dashed to the safety of the beach.
“Oh, my poor foot!” he groaned. “I’ll bet that confounded crab could pinch the propeller off a battleship.”
“Oh, don’t mind a little thing like that,” said Jimmy vengefully. “Just think of the nice crabs you’ll have for dinner to-night, and it won’t hurt any more.”
“Oh, shut up!” exclaimed Herb, for Bob and Joe, while they were sorry for him, could not help laughing at his woebegone appearance. “It won’t be as much fun when one of you gets nipped.”