SNAIL FOLK 



bubble of air which, hke a levitating pearl, rose 

 slowly through the water. I tucked the creature 

 under my arm and made for the ladder when I 

 saw a second conch and put this beneath the other 

 arm. As I was putting my foot on the lowest rung 

 the surge threw me backward and I stepped inad- 

 vertently upon a third conch, the projections of 

 which were so unpleasant that I dropped the first 

 two. Miser-like, gathering them all up again, I 

 began a one-sided ascent by means of feet, one knee 

 and two fingers, with the trio clutched to me. The 

 moment the conchs sensed one another they either 

 blamed their present predicament upon each other, 

 or the courage of three mollusteers together gave 

 them courage to emerge from their shells and attack 

 me. I know exactly how the Spartan youth felt with 

 his irate fox, only I lacked the courage of that 

 Greek Boy Scout and when my muscular snails 

 began hacking at me I dropped them all. Again I 

 tried and again I failed, for the punishing power of 

 their sharp operculum was that of a claw of a sabre- 

 toothed tiger, — their strength and activity were 

 marvellous, and they tore through bathing suit and 

 skin. Finally I succumbed to the humiliation of 

 being beaten by three snails and carried them gin- 

 gerly up, one at a time. This attack and defeat was 

 my first real introduction to the architects and ten- 

 ants of the shells, and it more than doubled my 

 interest in this group of fellow organisms. 



I have found that if I wait long enough, all the 

 disappointments which I feel in natural things are 



221 



