Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1886-06-19
A Queer Adventure.

AS I ran, I kept my eyes fixed on
Brown, who was acting in singular
manner. After every few seconds his
head would disappear beneath the water
in which he stood, then it would appear
again. He seemed to be struggling
violently. AS I approached him he
threw up his hands and cried out in &C
cents that haunt me still: "For heavens
sake, lieutenant quick, and help mer'
I dashed out to him through water up
to my waist.
"What is it? What has hold of your
I exclaimed.
cts big oyster, or clam" he
groaned. II was wading here, and
stepped into it I expect. Its shell
closed-gripped my ankle-and to save
my life I can't get away-and the tide
will soon be over our heads herep' he
added, with something almost like sob.
He had been struggling here for fifteen
or twenty minutes.
I heard of the tridacena gigas, or
monster clam, of this coast and instant
ly realized the danger of his situation.
"Courage, old fellow" I said. "1'n
stick by you. Here, hold this paddle
and the Ratchet"
then ducked down under the water,
and with my hands felt about his foot.
The huge mollusk had what might be
well termed death grip on him. The
creatures shell was several feet long,
and of proportionate breadth, and the
weight of the shell-fish must have been
at least 800 pounds. The creature was
attached to the coral rock by grisly
byssus as thick as my arm. Raising
myself, I got breath, then selling the
paddle, thrushed the shaft of it between
the converging edges of the two valves
of the shell, and using it as lever,
attempted to pry the shell apart. But
I could not opan it. Brown, too, duck
ing down, seized hold with his hands
and pulled with all his strength, but ex-
erting all our power, We could not re-
lease the monsters hold. Again and
again threw my whole weight on the
shaft of the paddle and at length broke
it. By this time the water was up to
my shoulders when stood up. Fully
realizing that whatever I did must be
done in few minutes more, else the
poor fellow would drown, I snatched the
hatchet from Browns hand and, diving,
tried to cut under the shell, to break the
creatures anchorage on the rock. With
might and main I cut and hacked-then
rose an instant for breath-then down
and at it again. But it seemed as
though I could not cut through the
tough muscle. Four times dived and,
with frantic haste, cut at those tough
byssus.
at stirsr' at length Brown cried,
bracing his weight upon his free foot
and lifting at it.
Then with final blow the byssus
was severed, and the buoyancy of the
water aiding us, we dragged the great
mollusk- fast to Browns ankle
back to higher ground on the reef.
Here the water was waist deep, however,
and I looked anxiously around for Mac,
in the lakatol. To my JOY, he was close
dG uduI, duu uctWccu us, Wo uitcu
Brown, with his now captured captor,
into 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
tribacena- saving asunder the hinge
muscles, at the base of the bivalve. It
was truely gigantic clam; and as
poetic retribution upon it for this at
tempt on the life of one of our party,
we dte portion of its flesh for our sup
per, but found it rather tough.
Browns ankle was severely bruised
and wrenched, and he suffered for many
day from the vice-ike grip Of the
huge mollusk.