an caught a dozen crabs, then picked one from the bait and
flipped it into the water.

"Too small, I guess," Rick commented.

"Must be. Where does the line go?"

Rick pointed. A gallon oilcan, painted blue and white, bobbed gently in
the creek. "That's where he's heading."

The crabber approached the can, then flipped the line off the roller.
Using a lever next to him, he turned the boat and headed toward another
can some distance away. A quick pull with a boat hook and the line
attached to the can was placed over the roller. Crabs appeared, holding
onto the bait as the boat moved along the new line. Rick counted. The
crabber was getting about one crab for every three baits.

Scotty leaned over the cockpit rail. "There's the end of his line, over
near shore. He'll pass close to us."

"That's why the motor sounded loud," Rick guessed. "He moves from one
line to another. Last time he came by the boat he woke me up."

"Same here." Scotty nodded.

The crabber moved methodically, his boat proceeding at a steady pace
toward the houseboat. As he came abreast, he called, "Mornin'."

The boys returned the greeting.

"Looks like a good catch," Scotty called.

"Fair. Only fair." The crabber scooped up a huge blue crab from almost
under their noses and went on his way.

"If it's only fair now, what must it be like when it's good?" Rick asked
with a grin.

"Two crabs on every hunk of bait," Scotty said. "You count crabs and
I'll make coffee."

"That's my boy," Rick said approvingly.

Scotty went into the cabin and left Rick watching the crabber. Rick
tried to figure out all the details. After a short time he concluded
that the floats were attached to anchors of some kind. The anchors kept
the crab line on the bottom, except when it was running over the roller.
He also saw that there were no hooks or other gadgets. The crabs were
caught simply because they refused to let go of the bait.

The aroma of coffee drifted through the cabin door, and Rick wondered
why it is that coffee, bacon, and other breakfast scents are so much
more tantalizing on the water.

The crabber approached on the leg of his journey closest to the boat. On
impulse, Rick called, "Come aboard and have some coffee?"

The man grinned. Without missing his smooth swing at a rising crab, he
called back, "Don't mind. That coffee smell was drivin' me nigh crazy.
Be back when I finish this line."

Rick leaned into the cabin. "Company for coffee, Sco