“’Cause it’s then they come in from the ocean to eat up in the inlets and bays, and they’ll bite better,” Teddy answered.
“We’re out awful far from shore,” Janet remarked, after Teddy had rowed for several minutes. “Look, how far it is, Teddy.”
“Oh, this isn’t far,” he said. “And, anyhow, the water isn’t deep. Look, I can touch bottom with an oar,” and he did this, pulling one in from the lock to show his sister. The water was, really, only about three feet deep, so that only shallow draught boats could be used, even at high tide; nor was the “little bay” very wide, and the children were still within this small bay.
“Well, don’t you guess we’re out far enough?” asked Janet, after Teddy had rowed a bit farther.
“Yes, I guess so,” he agreed. “Now we’ll anchor and catch a lot of crabs.”
Those of you who have been crabbing know that the boat must be kept still, or nearly so, while the crab fishing goes on. For this reason all crabbing boats are provided with anchors.
Jimmie had a stone for his anchor—a stone tied on the end of a rope, the other end of the rope being fast to the boat. Teddy cast the stone anchor overboard. It fell in with a splash, the tide swung the boat around, facing up the bay, and the Curlytops cast their six lines of bait over the side. Each string was made fast to nails driven in the edge, or gunwale, of the boat for this purpose.
HE MADE A QUICK SCOOP WITH THE NET, AND OUT OF THE WATER CAME MR. CRAB.
“Now you watch your lines and I’ll watch mine,” Teddy said, in a whisper. He had an idea—as did many other boys—that to catch crabs or fish one must not be too noisy. I suppose too much noise might frighten away the fish, but whether or not they can hear ordinary talk and laughter when they are down under the water, I don’t know.