158 LIBERTY AND A LIVING. 



after dinner there would be sufficient to load 

 up the boat, and then after a short rest we be- 

 gan to prepare for dinner. Whoever wants to 

 know what clams are worth, must cook them 

 on the shore, and with drift-wood picked up 

 for the purpose. I have tried a clam-bake in 

 our garden, I have tried it on the kitchen 

 stove, but whether the difference is in the 

 clams or in our appetites, the result is never 

 the same. It is the easiest thing in the world 

 to bake clams to perfection, if a few simple 

 rules are observed. Sweep a flat space upon 

 the sand, and lay upon it the sort of griddle 

 made for the purpose, which can be found all 

 over Long Island. The clams are held upright 

 in this griddle, which holds at least one hun- 

 dred, and sometimes more. Right on top of 

 the clams build a loose fire of the drift-wood, and 

 after it has blazed well for five minutes, and 

 the clams begin to hiss violently, half smother 

 it with wet sea-weed ; a moment after, one or 

 two clams may be tested. Pick one out with a 

 pair of tongs and throw it up in the air, letting 

 it come down upon any hard surface, a board, 

 or a stone. If it flies open, all is well, and the 

 feast may begin ; if not, the clams are not 



