The Lafayette gazette. [volume] (Lafayette, La.) 1893-1921, 1895-06-15
CAUGHT BY A CLAN.


By CHARLES STUART PRATT.
| zone does not usually regard the
clam as a dangerous ANIMAL re-
marked my friend, jock Ballantine, as
he shook a silver pepper-box over q
plate of the delectable Little Neck
bivalves, ''yet the narrowest escapc OF
my life was from, a clam"
Jack Ballantiue was an old school
| mate. I remembered him as the adj
venturous spirit among the boys. but
had not seen him since we gradua ted
from the Latin high school, a dozen
years before, till that very day.
Coming down town to business in the
morning, had met him face to face by
the frog pond, and we had engaged to
dine together and bring our 1ife-stories
up to date.
''Not being a dyspeptic, or otherwise
impaired in your body" said I, smiling
terrible clam could hardly have been of
the Little Neck Sort
Hardly" replied Ballantine, with a
laugh. ''The clam that captured me
would have made a meal for a regular
fairy-tale giant. 1t weighed probably
twenty pounds, and its tremendous
shells four or Ave hundred pounds
more"
''You must mean the giant clam of
East Indian waters?" observed 1, in
4ufringly. Il believe the single shells
Of that great bivalve are sometimes
used for holy-water fonts in Catholic
churches"
Eyes, and in tho islands of Oceana for
babies bathtubs," said Ballantine.
1.-THE particular tridacna gigas in ques-
ton. however, with which I had a brief
but fearful acquaintance, was alive,
and dozen fathoms deep in tropic
waters--in the Torres strait, between
Queensland and New Guinea"
So, while we waited the next course,
Ballantine began the story Of his ex-
traordinary adventure.
II believe you went TO your uncle in
London. after our Latin school &c
quaintance," remarked l. "You wrote
me on arriving there, but not after
ward"
"Yes. Uncle Ballantine had mining
and pearling interests in Queensland,
and went out almost immediately aft
er reaching London. I was located at
Cooktovvn, on the northeast coast
THE region and the life were full of
interest to me, and 1 soon became fam
iliar with mining on land and pearlinc
at sea. We had quite q fleet of luggers
of five to twenty tons. two
short masts, and manned with crews of
half a dozen natives, Kanalzas, Japs,
Chinese, or Malays, maybe.
"One of our captains was an old Nan
tncket whaler. and 1 now and then
went out to the fishing grounds with
him.
ION one of these pearling trips We
went up the coast, around Cape York,
Into Torres strait. It was there 1 had
my narrow escape.from q clam.
almost at the start we struck rich
bottom, and our diver was bringing up
three or four hundred pairs of shells a
1ay-worth about that number OF dol
ars. BY the end of the month we had
, cargo of eight or ten tons. OF course
The mother-of-pearl lining of the SHELLS
Is the bread and butter of the business.
The round pearls of the jeweler are the
,ake Tor perhaps 1 should say the pie,
being in New England.)
{" always did have an irresistible |
desire to get at the inside of things, and |
see the wheels go round,' and 1 had |
ong wanted, for once at least, to touch |
leep-sea bottom, and behold the mar |
vels of which 1 had heard.
1.-The captin tried to dissuade me.
lie had been q diver himself, and knew
rom personal encounter the dangers of |
,hc descent. But as usual, had my
,wn way, though it was nigh to being
or the last time.
AT last the face glass was set in
'lace, and I stepped over the side of
ound and sank, sank, down, down,
lown, into the depths of waters.
THAT sudden delirious descent was
measured by seconds, yet l lived an
ge of vision and sensation, as a drown
ng man does-all the nightmare i'm
ginings the captains black tales and
warnings had projected into my
reams of the night before seemed
bout to be realized in double terror
hen, in o fash, all mental distress
vas blotted out by overpowering
Mystical sensations, sufocatinG press
re, to which Poe's inquisition chamber
we're paradise.
II struggled spasmodically. 1 be-
ieve shrieked. Then with q clash
he agony ceased, and my lead
Weighted feet pressed the air within
ny armor, and went bounding over
he sea bottom like N india rubber
rnpis pau. !