One hideous old woman had raked a quantity of decayed cherries into her lap, and sat “and munched, and munched, and munched.”
Under the vigorous attack of so many diligent hands and capacious and willing mouths, the mound of vegetable garbage was soon swept away.
As I then lacked amusement, I stepped to a market next door, and procured a handful of shrimps. With these I approached the now surfeited group of savages, and began eating, by way of experiment on their nerves.
At first they looked curiously on, and some of the juveniles rose to their feet to have a better view of the new and horrible-looking esculent. At a respectful distance they stood and gazed, as they saw me pull in two and devour the many-legged little monsters, each “little Injun” with lips curled up, teeth set, and nose wrinkled.
The bucks shrugged their shoulders as they saw each fresh “bug” pulled out and eaten, and some of the squaws drew down the corners of their mouths and spat upon the ground with decided emphasis.
The whole party, as though fascinated by a sight so fearful, sat and closely watched each shrimp as it was shucked out and swallowed, the general disgust each moment increasing.
Finally, I held out toward a “brave” of some ten “snows” the few crustaceous specimens remaining in my hand. This incipient warrior was arrayed as to his head, in some Comstock dandy’s cast-off “stovepipe” hat, and as to his nether extensions, in a pair of adult unmentionables of bake-oven capacity in the rear.
As my hand approached, his moon eyes rapidly grew moonier, and he began craw fishing, though determined, if possible, to retreat in good order, and with his face to the foe.
At this critical moment I pitched at the budding chieftain the empty shell of a shrimp I had just finished. By chance it alighted upon a lock of hair hanging over his forehead, and there remained for a moment, hanging by the claws, and dangling before his eyes.
The boy gave a yelp, made one grab at the ugly thing, then turned a complete back somersault over the old cherry-muncher. He landed running, but, his “plug” hat being down over his eyes, he soon brought up on all-fours, with his head between the legs of a passing Chinese wood-peddler, who was so frightened at the unexpected assault in the rear, that he, in turn, came near turning a somersault over the back of the donkey he was driving.