“A soft-shelled crab is a hard-shelled crab with its old, hard shell off, and it is only soft while it is waiting for its new shell to harden in the salty sea water,” explained Cousin Tom.  “You see a crab grows, but its shell, or its house that it lives in, doesn’t grow.  So it has to shed that, or wiggle out of it, to let a larger one grow in its place.  When it does that it is a soft-shelled crab for a time, and very good to eat.  But you can’t catch soft-shelled crabs on a string and a chunk of meat.  You have to go along and scoop them out of the seaweed with a net.  But now we will fish for hard-shelled crabs.”

Cousin Tom and Daddy Bunker had rowed the boat about a mile up the inlet, and now the anchor was tossed over the side, to keep the craft from drifting with the tide.

“Now each one of you take a string, and toss the meat-end of it over the side,” said Cousin Tom.  “Keep hold of the stick-end, or tie that end to the boat.  If you lose that you can’t pull in your crab.  Each one of you keep watch of his or her string.  When you see it beginning to be pulled, or when you feel a little tug or jerk on it, as if a fish were nibbling, then pull up very slowly and carefully.  And look as you pull.  Don’t pull it all the way to the top, or the crab, if there is one on it, will see you, let go, and swim away.”

The six little Bunkers did as they were told.  Of course Margy and Mun Bun were too little to know how to catch crabs, but they each had a line, and Mother Bunker said she would catch them for the small tots.

“Oh, I think I have one!” suddenly exclaimed Russ in a whisper.  “Look at my line move!”

“Yes, you may have a crab on there,” returned Cousin Tom.  “Pull up very gently.”

Russ did so, while his cousin reached forward with the long-handled net ready to scoop it under the crab, if it should happen to be one.

Up and up Russ pulled his line.  Every one was eagerly watching, for they wanted to see the first crab caught.  And then, as the chunk of meat on Russ’s string came near the top of the water, Rose, from the other end of the boat, cried: 

“Oh, it’s only a piece of seaweed!”

And so it was!  How disappointed Russ was!  The bit of green seaweed, catching on his line, had wiggled and tugged, as the tide swayed it, just as a crab would have done.

“Oh, I have one!  I have one!” suddenly called Laddie, from his end of the boat.  “He’s a big one!  He’s pulling like anything!”

“Well, don’t get excited and fall overboard,” said Daddy Bunker.  “Keep still, pull up slowly, and I’ll get him in the net for you.”

Slowly Laddie pulled up.  Every one was watching.  Would his “bite,” too, prove to be only seaweed?

“Yes, you have one!” said Mother Bunker in a low voice, so as not to frighten the crab.  I don’t really know whether loud noises frighten crabs or not, but generally every one keeps quiet when fishing.