CRABS. 59 



Malays are by no means an amiable or forgiving race, 

 and take infinitely more pains to poison the blade 

 of the " crease " or serpentine-knife they carry, than to 

 serve a friend or save a life, and we therefore feel far 

 more respect for the Crab who furnishes the point for 

 the arrow, than for the man who fires it. Then there is 

 the Nut Crab, or Calappay whose queer little legs are 

 so closely tucked away under his odd little shell, that 

 rambling ''^Jack Tars' in search of " Curios'' not unfre- 

 quently gather a few to bring home to their friends, 

 under the idea that when cut and polished they will 

 serve to form elegant brooches and splendid sliirt-pins, 

 for the gay promenades of Portsmouth and Plymouth. 

 A dry old salt of a quartermaster, on the Indian station, 

 chanced one day, when on shore for a cruise, to become 

 possessed of a goodly nimiber of these luchy stones, as 

 he called them, and by way of securing his treasures 

 placed them in an old silk-handkerchief, and stowed 

 them away, with a few dollars and sundry cakes of 

 cavendish, in the corner of his chest. It so happened 

 that some piratical ship-mate, not proof against the 

 allurements of honey dew and silver, but totally in- 

 different to natural history, seized his opportunity and 

 spirited off the tobacco and money, but left the liiclcy 

 stones behind. The next day, when our old friend 

 came for his accustomed supply of the weed, he, to his 

 horror, astonishment, and indignation, found the sup- 



