A Breath of Sea Air 



piece of wood. It was with just such an interest that Frank now 

 held the lobster towards his friend; and Jan, after fumbling for a 

 moment or two, extricated a thick elastic band and clamped it 

 deftly over one of the lobster's claws. As he did so, the other 

 swung round, slowly, like a submarine; but it was still a good 

 two inches away from his hand when Jan had finished. Then he 

 was safe. He grabbed the menacing claw and pressed its two 

 arms together, then bound them in place with a strip of linen. 

 The other claw too would have to be secured more firmly, but 

 that could wait until the trip was ended. Sometimes, when 

 he forgot that Jan was with him, Frank would fasten a capture 

 between his thigh-booted knees and bind both claws with casual 

 intrepidity. But Jan was so fond of his elastic bands that Frank 

 let him use them. 



Frank put the catch on the floor of the boat, and Jan was sur- 

 prised by the dull, humorous light in his eyes. *And what shall 

 we do with her, Johnny?' 



Jan didn't know what he was talking about. Then he remem- 

 bered. He lifted the lobster which was still struggling as hysteri- 

 cally as a lobster ever struggles, and he folded back the inturned 

 abdomen. It was a mass of berries, coloured blue-green and 

 clustered thick, and small and round and living. 



'Well, I don't suppose we can go back without anything.' 



^Neither do I. We'll see what happens.' 



It was in this way that Jan came to break the first law that he 

 broke in Britain. They did get another four catches in the re- 

 maining creels, but two of them were pretty small, and one was 

 another berried female. So Frank decided that one of the preg- 

 nant ladies would have to be 'brushed'. Only then could he land 

 her and fetch a price at market. 



Jan knew very well that there was a law against it. Frank was 

 one of the few fishermen who habitually observed it and he had 

 explained the excellent reasons for the governmental bar on the 

 landing of berried females. Each of these 'berries' was a fertilised 

 egg^ an embryonic lobster; and, if one waited for no more than a 



9 



