put as they were caught from
the boat. Cousin Tom had spread wet seaweed over the top of the basket,
but this had not been enough to keep the crabs in.

"Look, they're chasing us!" cried Rose, as a crab came sliding sideways
over the oil-cloth, clashing its big claws.

"They are only trying to get into the dark corners to hide," said
Cousin Tom. "I'll pick them up."

"Will they pinch you?" asked Laddie.

"No, not if I pick them up by one of their back flippers," said his
cousin. "There is a certain way to pick up a crab so he can't reach you
with his claws."

Just then a crab came toward Cousin Tom. He put out his foot, and held
it tightly on the hard shell of the crab's back. Then, reaching behind
the crab, and taking hold of one of the broad, flat swimming flippers,
he lifted the crab up that way. The crab wiggled and tried to reach
Cousin Tom with the pinching claws, but could not.

"That's the way to do it," called out Cousin Tom, as he tossed the crab
into the basket.

"I can do it!" said Laddie, who liked to try new things.

"You'd better not," advised his mother. "Look how the crab pinched
Russ."

"My toe's bleeding," said the little fellow, and so it was. A big crab
can easily pinch hard enough to draw blood.

"I'll tie it up for you," said his mother. "Perhaps you children had
better not try to pick up Crabs the way Cousin Tom did," she went on.
"You might make a mistake and get badly pinched."

"Yes, let the children keep out of the way," agreed Daddy Bunker.
"Cousin Tom and I will catch the crabs."

Russ was led away, hopping on one foot, though if he had tried, he could
easily have stepped on his sore foot. He was more frightened than hurt,
I think. And then the other children followed him, though the twins
would rather have staid.

It was not easy to catch the crabs, for there were so many of them, and
they scurried around so fast. But Cousin Tom picked them up in his
fingers, and Daddy Bunker soon learned the trick of this. As for Cousin
Ruth, she took the crab tongs, which were two pieces of wood fastened
together on one end, like a pair of fire tongs. In these the crabs could
be picked up either front or back, or even by one claw, and they could
only pinch the wood, which they often did.

"There, I think we have them all," said Cousin Tom at last. "And now,
as the water is boiling, we can cook them."

So the crabs were cooked, and set aside to cool until morning, when the
white meat