By this time Sue, also, had seen the cause of the trouble. A big crab had been caught when the tide went down, and was in the pool of water, which, surrounded by sand, was like a little lake. Bunny must have stepped on the creature when wading. It had nipped the big toe of his left foot, and was holding on, though Bunny had raised his foot out of the water as far as he could.
"Come here, Bunny. I'll get him off for you," his mother called.
"I can't come! How am I going to walk on one foot?" and Bunny howled, for the crab was pinching hard.
"Can't you skip, as we do when we play hopscotch?" asked Sue.
"Maybe," her brother answered.
He was about to try it, and his mother was just going to tell him that a better way would be to dip his foot back in the water when the crab might swim away, when the pinching creature decided to let go anyhow. It loosened its claws and dropped with a splash into the puddle of water.
"Oh, he's gone! He let go my toe!" cried Bunny, and then he ran up the sandy shore as fast as he could go.
"Let me see where he pinched you," said Mrs. Brown, when Bunny had reached her side. "Is it bleeding?"
"Yes, I guess it is! And maybe he pinched my whole toe off," said Bunny, almost ready to cry.
He held up his bare foot, and his mother looked at the toe. It was quite red, but the skin was not broken and there was no blood.