The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1892-01-16
rhe Giant crabs Of Enoshima, Japan
From January St Nicholas.


Enoshima is an island lying some thirty
miles below Yokohama. At low tide
Enoshima is rocky peninsula Joined to
the land by long sandy bar. At high
tide the water covers this sandy strip, and
in time of heavy storms, also, the far
reaching waves make it an island and sur
round it with foam. Enoshima is covered
with groves and ancient temples, and there
is even a temple in cave far In under the
island, which one can enter only at low
tide. Tea-houses and pretty summer villas
peep from the dense groves; and while pill
grims resort there to pray, other people 60
to enjoy fish dinners and to buy all the
curious shells, sponges, corals, sea-weeds,
and pretty trihes that can be made of shells
and fish scales.
The only unwelcome visitor to this
beautiful beach is the giant crab, whose
shell is about as large as that of the green
turtle, whose eyes project and wink, and
roll horribly, while each of his claws meas
ures five to six feet in length. The ordi-
nary visitor does not meet this crab walking
up the beach in daylight. Heavy storms
sometimes sweep them in from the deep
waters where they live, and the fishermen
hunt them on the reefs off shore, or to their
surprise bring them up in their nets. The
weight of the crab and the thrashing of his
claws generally ruin the fisherman's net
and he is an unpleasant traveller in a small
boat. Such a crab in the middle of Il boat
twelve feet long could reach out to both
ends of it and nip the men at bow and
stern; and his reach, measured sidewise, in
the real crab-fashion, is sometimes over
twelve feet. The fishermen used to con-
slider it bad luck to haul up one of these
in net They would make quick work of
throwing the crab back into the water, and
afterward beg in the cave shrine of Benten
Sauna that the gods should not plague them
with any more such luck. In this modern
and money making day, the fishermen have
learned that one big crab is worth more
than a whole netful of common fish. Every
perfect crab landed can be sold for five
dollars or more, and in time each travels to
foreign country and becomes the gem in
some museums collection of shell-fish.
The fsher.folk along this far Pacific
strand tell stories that make the bather
find this crab as dreadful as the scuttlefish,
which also inhabits these waters. They
claim that the big crab will fight fiercely
when attacked, and will, without reason,
nip at any moving thing. Then, too, they
they say that its eyes give out light and
glow like balls Of fire in the dark. Some
jewellers coming home very late from the
tea-houses of the neighboring village of
Katase have been frightened sober by see
ing the beach full of these red-eyed crawl
ing monsters, who cracked their claws in
the air and ratified their bodies over the
stones they gave chase. In japanese
fairy stories, these crabs have run away with
bad little boys and girls, haunted wicked
persons dreams, and taken other part in
human affairs. The Enoshima crabs were
brought into modern English fiction by
Rider Haggard, in his story, "Allan Qua
termain. In that book the heroes came
out from an underground fire-chamber and
foated along deep and narrow canon.
When they stopped to rest and eat, an army
of crabs came up at the smell of food, and
rolled their eyes and cracked their claws,
until they frightened the heroes away.
Mr. Haggard says in a foot-note that he
had read of these crabs in some book Of
travel, and borrowed them for this canon
scene to make Allan Quatermain's adven-
lures the more exciting.