aptain Sam, an old sailor, who had taken a great
fancy to the boys, and he gave them a net, which he showed them how to
use.

Thus fitted out, the boys would anchor near the shore a short distance
below the village, roll up their trousers above their knees, and then
stepping overboard, each take hold of an end of the net, and, keeping
quiet as mice, wait until a crab came sailing up or down with the tide,
when they would scoop him up, and shout "Hurrah!" if it proved to be a
soft shell, and "Oh, pshaw!" if it was hard. However, in the latter
case, it was not thrown away, but shaken off into the boat's locker, to
be transferred to the car and left to "shed."

They did not at once make their fortune, for although they might have
good "catches," that did not always insure a ready market; but as the
warmer weather came on, and the village began to fill up with people
from the city, the boys procured two or three regular customers, who did
not grudge the fair prices paid for the "little-boy lobsters," as Bert
called them.

Captain Sam stood firm friend and adviser to them from the first, and
when some of the other crabbers were inclined to find fault with what
they termed the injury done their business, he did his best to make
peace, saying the river was big enough for all.

But one very hot afternoon, George and Bert came down to the shore
looking rather blue, for the day previous some of the other village boys
had repaired in a body to where the two were anchored, and made such a
splashing about as to frighten all the crabs away.

"I think it's an awful shame," muttered George, as he pushed off. "This
is a free country, and I don't see why we haven't as good a right to
make money out of the river as Teddy Lee or Nat Springer. They--"

"Hold on a minute, George!" cried Bert, as his brother, with one knee on
the bow, was about to send the _Sarah_ into deep water with the other
foot. "Here comes Captain Sam. Let's tell him about it; maybe he'll know
what we ought to do;" and so they waited till the good-natured old man
came up.

But there was no need to tell him anything, for he had already heard of
the new outbreak on the part of the village boys, and now appeared with
a suggestion, by acting on which hostilities might in the future be
avoided.

"I'm real sorry, boys," he began, as he took his seat on the side of his
own boat, which was drawn up close beside the _Sarah_. "I'm real sorry
as how these Yorking youngst