"Hurrah!" cried Merry. "Here's proof the fishermen down this way are not all liars, or do not lie about everything. They told me this was the kind of game we should find here."
"But this must be unusual," said Diamond. "Can't all of them be like this."
"They say so."
"Well, they cannot be very good to eat. They must be too tough."
"On the contrary, I have heard they are splendid eating. Here is another! By Jove, it's fully as large as the first!"
Hans sat still on the sand and stared straight at the
first clam turned out. Frank looked at him and saw the Dutch boy appeared on the verge of bursting into tears.
"What's the matter, Dunnerwust?" he asked.
"I vos peginnin' to seen things queer," replied Hans. "Vot do I think? Vale, uf dot glam don'd look like der mug an Irishman of, you vos a liar! Uf I kept on seein' things like dot to remindt me vot dot man in gray said, id vill drife me to trink ur to sluicide!"
They had brought along a bucket, and it did not take long to fill it with these large clams. Then they emptied it into the bottom of the boat and found another bucketful before stopping. With those they returned to the boat.