The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1883-11-21
J. Big Oyster Story.


elbows that for an ister7" said the
skipper Of a Philadelphia oysterman,
pointing to IN enormous shell that lay
on the deck. at amt not only big
she'll" he continued, "but it's got q
powerful big yarn that goes with 1t;
The shell was certainly four feet long,
large enough to serve MS bath'tub ior
q small boy, and must have weighed
over $50 pounds, as the reporter could
not move 1t with one hand. 1t was one
Of the largest bivalves known, tho
ridacna gigas, more properly allied to
the clans, but passing as averyrespect
able oyster.
"Yes, sir" continued the skipper, who
was shucking oysters, smoking, talking,
and humming time at the same time,
that lister was fetched from the East
Indies ny an old mate Of mine, and hap
PENN to ran foul Of me, he says, says
he, Bob, you're in the lister biz and
oughter have the boss ister; kinder SAM
plo yer goods like SO what does he do
but send this ere ballast aboard. There
was two Of EN-; one got washed away in
a gale OF wind of Pint Lookout, down
the Chesapeake. but the two OF EN-
weighed over 800 pounds, and ellis, ho
what fetched EN- said he eat the lister
along o the hull port watch OF the ship
about twenty, reckon-and there was
bali Of that lister left. The critter
weighed close on to forty pounds, all
solid meat. Ye wouldn't open many Of
EN- in an hour.
"The yarn? Well, MS ! was sayin',
ellis was one o these speculatin' chaps,
always lookIn' for the main chance,
swappin' knives, clothes, anythin' 80 as
10 make cent, and cute rs they make
EN-; 10 when the ship struck the Hoss
ATTITUDES Gil was always on the lookout
for curiosities, shells and such, for to
fetch home and sell. SO, when the ship
struck the Straighis O. Sunda and KEN
to, off he goes with couple O. niggers
what came aboard t) git coral and
things. Wall, they was wadin' along, as
Gill said, haulin' the canoe after 'em and
pickin' up chunks Of coral and conchs
and such, and all to once Gil see what
looked like n flower, all pink and yellow,
and not KNOWN what it was, up he goes
and give it kick with his foot The
next minute he felt somethin' close over
his foot like vise and was gripped as
ef he'd took root, and lookin down he
see his foot nipped in one OF these ere
shells. Pull and haul every way he
would he couldn't move, and they could
not get at the critter, as it was buried in
the coral and the tide OH the flood; it
rises about six feet in that country.
Wall, they thumped the crittcr with the
oars and hauled away for awhile, all to
no puppus, and Gurus enough Gil had
left his knife aboard, and the only thing
to do was 70 90 for it. SO of one OF the
coons started for the bark, and she a
YIN two miles away. The other chap
stood by Gil in case he gev out; and
there they was, the tide risin' every
minute, but in about thrcc.quarters Of
IN hour the SHIPS cutter came along.
The boys gey Gil n cheer that kind o
braced him up, and the skipper had sent
his grog. Overheard jumps the mate,
with one o. these ere spades they use in
whaln', and in about minute the crit.
Ter was all cut up and GIl yanked
aboard; but III be logged if tho water
wasn't most up to his chin. The next
lay they went at low tide and got ont
tho critters shell; and that's the yarn,
nd there's the shell, said the skipper
In conclusion.