, 1885-12-01
CAUGHT BY 4 sia CLAM
4 ronHo Ia. sader Ia ;As Clutches OF
Dsath-Trap-A Narrow-Esoaps-

Douth~lrap- NarroM- EsuApos
Yruthss C mp m'onl
1t was while We we're at the Tong {,
stands that / secured the services OF n
native and his boat, for the purpose OF
collecting coral and shells. We took
advantage of the low tide for our work,
Tor then the tips of the coral Gt1wed
above the water.
one morning we were out; l was in
the boat, and the native, distant some
half mile, was wading about. Suddenly
I heard him yelling, and saw him wav-
ing his hands wildly about. My first
thought was that he had discovered
,ome fine specimens, but | soon saw that
he was in distress. thought the water
100 shallow for sharks. but made all
possible haste TO reach him.
AS ! approached, | perceived that he
was held down by something under.
meath; he was lamenting piteously. The
water was very clear, and when |
reached his side, ! saw the poor fellows
legs we're caught between the lids of n
monstrous clam, Eve feet or more in
length. 1t seems that those big clans
are common there, and have a way Of
half sinking themselves i, the dead
coral; and when open, with the great
white animal showing itself, they can
scarcely be toll 1 from the bottom. And
he lad walked right on to one, and the
lids had come together like a wise.
To make the matter worse the tide
was fast coming in, and was already
lapping his shoulders. first famed an
ar into the small opening between the
halves of the shell, but that only made
the creature press together all the closer,
and reddish streams that began to dis.
solor the water showed that the knife
like blades were cutting In deeply.
In desperation, | iammed the boat
book into the animal, but the point
broke off against the iron-like shell. 1t
was awful. There the poor fellow was,
ais head lust above the water, hanging
in TO the boat. You've heard of death
coming on the ebb tide, but it came On
the flood here.
Inch by inch the tide rose, and the
poor fellow begged of me to kill him. /
was on the point of attempting to cut
of his leg as a last resort, when it oc-
Cured to me to cut the big muscle that
held the valves together. There wasn't
a minute to lose, as the water was now
nearly to the man s chin, while his Of
forts to keep above it almost sank tbs
boat, His eyes staring and veins stand
ing out, he was perfectly paralyzed with
the horror Of his condition.
dashed my big knife to a piece Of
bamboo that had, and dived down to
see where to cut. Sticking the knife in
at the angle between the lids Of the
shell, | sawed away until my breath
gave out, and then | came up. Getting
a new supply, | tried it again. and this
time could feel the round muscle, or
scallop, we call it, a big as Il man 8
thigh / got the knife into it and cut
it, and putting one foot against n OF
the big valves, and bracing back, |
wrenched them apart, and rose to the
surface just in time to pick the poor
fellow up. lie had tainted away, and
no wonder.
I placed him in the canoe, and when
he came TO, he was so grateful he
couldn't say or do enough for me. His
leg was out, and the bone crushed out
OF shape, All in all, it was about a.
narrow an escape as / ever saw OF
heard of.