CHAPTER XVI
DRIFTING AWAY
Side by side, carrying their crab nets, an empty peach basket and their bait, Ted and Janet walked toward a small bay that was part of the big bay on which Sunset Beach faced. The little bay was long, but not very wide, nor was it very deep. Near it were several small islands, where summer residents had built cottages.
“I guess we’ll get this more than full of big crabs,” said Ted to his sister, swinging the empty peach basket.
“I hope we do,” remarked Janet. “There’ll be a lot for Daddy, won’t there? I hope they don’t bite us.”
“Crabs won’t bite if you know how to take hold of ’em,” Teddy explained. “You got to grab ’em by one of their back flippers.”
“I’ll let you grab ’em,” said Janet.
Norah had given the children some chunks of raw meat, which they tied on short lengths of string, for, as Teddy had said, the bay was not very deep, and the bottom, on which the crabs crawled in search of food, was not far down.
“I’ve got three strings apiece and bait,” said Teddy. “We can put three lines out on each side of the boat.”
“Then we’ll catch lots of crabs,” remarked Janet.
When you go crabbing you can have almost as many lines out as you can watch—it is not like catching fish with a hook. Crabs do not take the bait in their mouth. They catch hold of it in their front claws, and start to go away with it to some quiet hole, or under some rock, where they may eat as they please.