San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1897-09-27
CAUGHT THE EDUCATED cRAs.
1t Had Spoiled Cnp'n Eph's Fishing,
But Was Landed by MedfOrd Rum.

The Educated Crab came to grief the
other day and Cap'n Eph Browles Wis
tied the village to celebrate the event.
When last seen, bound over the hills of
Hardscrabble, he was close hauled and
laying a course as tortuous as the wake
of a mackerel smack beating to wind
ward against tide and a stiff moth
easter.
Cap'n Eph had been fishing for the
Educated Crab ever since he was so
afflicted with rheumatism that he had
to knock off cruising between Bishop
and Clerks lighthouse and the Hand
kerchief ledge, and do all his fishing in
the bay or off the breakwater. He had
always maintained that the Educated
Crab was raised in Buzzard's bay and
that it had legs around New Bedford.
1t showed vicious knowledge, accord
ing to Cap'n Eph, only to have been
gained by long experience among
whalemen.
81 s'pose that air crab hez been afoul
my line at least leven hundred times"
remarked Cap'n Eph when he stood in
front of the post Office and displayed the
cadaver of the crab, which he had
brought from the beach carefully
wrapped in paper.
SLOW do know it's the same crab?
Don't yer s'pose kin tell his figger-
head from yourn? addressing the
neighbor on his left and pointing to the
one on his rightly Crabs hev phizes jest
ez much ez pussons. Sides, there never
wus crab afore that wuz sheathed all
along its keel and deck with barnacles.
I've hearn tell tibet yer could tell tn age
NV rattlesnake by tn rattles he steered
by. Eff thet holds good in tn case NV
crabs this'n' must be nigh a thousand
years old.
sit nd steal bait Eastern a hull school
NV fryers. Thet's where his eddication
cum in. I've leaned over the gunwale
when wuz fishing in clear water an
watched him skirmish round morn so
times. He'd go skuttlin' round my hook
four or five times, jes' ter get tn bear
ings Nv tn bait, but he wouldn't make
no effort ter tech tn bait until he'd gone
up ag'in TIL tide for two or three faith
oms. Then he'd come sailin' back with
the tide on his beam an heave to about
three inches from my line.
Every other crab would hev jes'
grabbed fur TIL bait an made sail. That
wuzn't tn style of tn dedicated Crab,
bowsomever he'd jes' port his helm an
swing athwart tn tide till he'd got his
starboard claw fore an aft with my line,
an then he'd grab tn hook by tn eye
an pint it's biziness end away from his
belly while he picked the bait off with
his port claw. 1t didn't matter how fast
1 hauled in tn line, he'd hev tn hook
bare by tn time rized him to the edge
NV tn water.
"He spilled my fishin' fur three sum-
mers, but kotched him at last. How
1t cum about shows that tn smartest
crab amt no way superior to man eff it
NEEDLES with rum. Night afore las 1
opened half bucket ur clans an set
the bait down by the table right under
where I'd sot a nigh about full bottle Nv
Medford rum; what 1 used to rub my
leg fur rheumatic. I'd aforementioned
all about that bottle when cum hum
long about nine o'clock o. night an
tried to light tn glim. Whilst wuz
foolin' round fur match knocked tn
bottle over an most all the likker
swashed down on them air clans. I
cussed myself fur a lubber all night,
fur 1 had pains in my leg an stumach
mighty bal But 1 amt sorry tibet I
spilled tn likker now, SEEM that
kotched tn dedicated crab.
81 thot ez the likker would be likely
TO Spite tn bait, an sure enough didn't
git bite till tn tide wuz about ebb an
TIL ole crab hove in sight. He took to
the rum soaked bait jest ez kindly ez a
prohibitionist away from hum. He
cleaned my hook an made sail fur his
port, but bimeby he cum back under
full Roadway an seemed dreadful eager
fur mother bite. He got it, but acted
SO wobbly that it sot me ter thinkin'.
Says ter myself, you bey sartainly go.
brains enough to git tangled up in
your latitude eff You hist in much more
NV that cargo So 1 jist jambed tn
hook full Nv rum-soaked CLAIMS an let
Cap'n Crab navigate all over the bottom
with it. Bimeby seed tibet he was too
wobbly ter steer within three pints NV
his course. He he'd to tack half dozer
times afore he could lay himself along
side the hook when I baited up agin
and then he jest grabbed at tn bait,
hook and all, regardless o. conse-
lzecences. let him git a good hold
afore / yanked, an when did give ppll
on tn line l druv tn hook nigh half
through his port quarter. 1t wasn't