106 NIMEOD OF THE HEA; OR, 



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The true way to carry a terrapin is to form a hand-bar- 

 row with deal clubs, or, for the largest, of the steering oars. 

 Such a contrivance, manned by two or ten men, will bring- 

 down the capture with comparative ease. I have not a cer-. 

 tain idea of the weight these creatures attain, but think I 

 am within the mark in placing them at four or five hundred 

 pounds. A somewhat hasty dinner of fried terrapin scarce- 

 ly interrupted the coming and going of the carriers, and an 

 hour before sunset a boat loaded to the water's edge with 

 our spoils was dispatched to the ship. We who i-emained 

 ashore prepared beds of dried grass under the tent, while 

 the cook made a savory mess of terrapin-meat, with the 

 sweet, golden fat, the rich, melting liver, potatoes, and on- 

 ions. As the savory odors swept athwart my nose, I almost 

 lost heart and appetite in the roasting of an iguana nearly 

 three feet long, and as thick around as a man's leg. As I 

 turned and basted the horrible beast, it was with less and 

 less stomach for the feast. • 



Part of the crew had started on a hunt for a sea-lion 

 (male seal), as we wanted the thick hide for moccasins, our 

 leather shoes having been cut to pieces in this single day's 

 tramping over the scoria. Others found amusement in kill- 

 ing the great conger-eels in the shallow pools left by the 

 receding tide. These spotted, snake like fish are bold and 

 vicious, not hesitating to dart at you, and fasten to the na- 

 ked leg or foot. It requires nerve to stand the charge of 

 the. ugly creatures without flinching. 



Luxurious dogs that we were, to our roast iguana and 

 terrapin stew we added the conger-eels, and craw-fish as 

 large as our lobsters, and equally good. At the going down 

 of the sun, a ravenous crew, seated on the convenient backs 



and young nuisance together were gathering their sprawling limbs from be- 

 neath the laughing waters, which carried the joke to the tickled trout in the 

 pool below. Ah ! lackaday ! Such days and such grandfathers are not 

 now with us ! 



