ar the inlet."

"We will go up stream, the other way," conceded Louise, delighted at the
prospect of their crabbing party. "Come on, here is where we hire our
boat, and get our crabbing outfit."

Down to the landing that jutted out into the shallow Round River, the
girls hurried to procure their fishing outfit.

"A flat bottomed boat," urged Cleo.

"All right," agreed Louise. "But any big boat will do. There are four of
us. One basket and four poles," she ordered from the prim little gray
haired woman who kept the stand at the landing.

"And bait," went on Louise, while the other girls marveled at her marine
intelligence.

"Oh, what smelly stuff?" sniffed Grace, taking the basket and holding it
out at arm's length.

"That's the bait," explained Louise.

"I'm never going to eat fish as long as I live," resolved Cleo. "Each
time I meet it it smells worse."

"The same fish naturally would," joked Louise. "But this is only bait
Cleo--bait, don't you know what that means?" she teased, swinging the
obnoxious basket up to a line with Cleo's face, where avoiding the odor
would be impossible.

A boy was unfastening their boat, and he placed the oars in the locks
just as the girls reached the water's edge.

"Don't tip," cautioned Julia. "We could at least get wet, even in this
shallow water."

Grace and Margaret took the oars, and soon the crabbing party was
gliding out among the few vacationists who were taking advantage of the
pleasant afternoon on the water.

"Oh, look!" exclaimed Cleo. "There are the crabs! Where's our bait and
things?"

"We have to load up first," explained Louise, assuming the role of
fisherman. "Get your lines out, look out! Don't tangle them."

"But how do we hook them?" asked Julia, who was gingerly affixing an
unfortunate little "shiner" on her line, to serve as bait for the
foolish, greedy crab.

"We don't hook them, we catch them in the nets," further explained
Louise. "I came out with daddy last week."

"Oh, no wonder you are so wise," said Cleo, struggling with her line. "I
simply couldn't imagine what degree of scouting you learned to fish in;
because I didn't."

"We recall what a lovely time you had in Allbright woods," Grace
reminded Cleo. "But then it was at cooking fish you especially
qualified," she added referring to an incident related in "The Girl
Scout Pioneers."

"Oh, yes. My explosive mud ball!" assented Cleo. "But this is different.
Ugh! I shall never, never b