The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1886-06-16
WHOLE NO. 1922.
A Queer Adventure.


As | ran, | kept my eyes fixed on
Brown. who was acting in singular
manner. After every few seconds his
head would lisappear beneath the water
in which he stood. then it would appear
again. He seemed To be struggling vio-
Iently As approached him he threw
up his hands and cried out, in accents
that haunt me still: "For heavens sake,
Lieutenant, quick, and helpme," dash
ell out to him through water up 10 my
waist.
"What l. il? What has hold Of you? "
| exclaimed.
Its big oyster, or a big clam he
groaned. % was wading here, and step
ped into it, expect. Its shell closed
gripped my ankle-and to save my life !
can't get away-and the tide will soon be
over our heads here" he added with
something almost like a sob. He had
been struggling here for fifteen or twenty
minutes.
had heard of the 'ritlaciAa gigas, or
monster clam, of this coast ami instantly
realized the danger Of his situation.
Courage. old fellow :" I s;lid "iH
stick by YOU. Here, hold this paddle and
the hatchet"
then ducked down under the water,
and with my hands felt about his foot.
The huge molluSk had what might be well
termed death-srip ON him. The crea-
lures shell was several feet long, and OF
proportionaie breadth, and the weight of
the shell fish must have been at least 500
pounds. The creature was attached to
the coral rock by grisly bySSus as thick
as my arm. Raising myself, got breath,
then seizing the paddle, thrust the shaft
Of it between the converging edges of the
two valves of the shell. and using il rs Il
lever, attempted to pry the shell apart.
But | could not open IL. Brown, too,
ducking down, seized hold with his
hands and pulled with all his strength,
but exerting all our power, We could not
release the monsters hold. Again and
again | threw my whole weight on the
shaft of the paddle and at length broke il.
By this time the water was mp % nv
shoulders when | stood up. Fully realiz-
ing that whatever dill must be- done in
a few minutes more, else the poor fellow
would drown, / snatched the hatchet
from Browns hand, and diving, tried to
cut under the shell, 20 break The cre.i-
lures anchorage on the rock. With
might and main cut and hacked-then
rose an instant for breath-then down
and at it again. But it seemed as though
| could not cut through the tough muscle
Four times | dived and with frantic haste
cut at those tough byssi.
- IL stirsl" at length Brown cried. brslc-
ing his weight upon his free foot and
lifting at it.
Then, with a final blow the bySsuS was
severed. and the buoyancy of the water
aiding Us, We dragged the great molusk
still fast to Browns ankle-back to
higher ground on the reef Here the wa
ter was waist-deep, however, and look
ed anxiously around for Mac, in the lakt-
toi. To my inexpreSsible joy, he was
close at hand, and between III, We lifted
Brown, with his now captured c;iptor, in
TO the canoe. Even then we could not,
both of Us together, pry the valves Of the
shell apart enough to release Browns
foot, till with knife We had reached in
and completely divided the tridacena-
saving asunder the hinge muscles, at the
base of the bivalve. II was truly eiean-
tic clam; and as Il poetic retribution upon
it for this attempt on the life of one of
our party, We ate a portion Of its flesh for
our supper, but found il rather tough
Browns ankle was severely bruised
and wrenched, and he suffered for MANY
day from the vice-like grip Of the huge
mollusk Youths Companion.