Читать книгу The Misadventures of Seldovia Sam - Susan Woodward Springer - Страница 12

Digging for Clams

Just as Sam had feared, his father brought the truck to a stop.

“Howdy, Wally. Taking the boy out clamming?” Gil called. Uh-oh, Melody was headed their way.

“Yep,” answered Dad.

“I don’t know why you even bother,” chirped Melody, leaning against the truck window. “Those clams in Jakolof Bay are so puny. The ones on MacDonald Spit are much bigger. That’s where I always go.”

What a pain! thought Sam. Melody believed she was smarter than everybody, and she was always full of advice. Sam couldn’t stand it.

“That’s what you think …” he started, but his Dad elbowed him. Hard. “Uh, thanks for the tip, Melody. We’ll have to try it there sometime,” Sam finished.

Sam was disgusted as they pulled away from the dock. He resolved to find the biggest clam ever. That would teach Melody.

Dad pulled off the road and carefully eased the truck onto a dirt track. The truck tilted crazily as the tires climbed over some huge spruce roots. Then, suddenly, the track spilled them out of the woods and onto the beach. Sam loved the crunching sound as the tires rolled over empty clam and mussel shells.

The tide was very low. The exposed beach stretched almost halfway across Jakolof Bay. Rising from the beach were three little humps, each supporting a few spruce trees. At high tide the water would surround the humps until they became islands, but for now they were completely dry.

Dad let down the tailgate and Neptune sailed out. She wagged her tail, barked, and danced in excited circles. Dad handed a bucket and spade to Sam, shouldered the rake and shovel, and started walking.

Sam’s new boots left huge prints in the sand. He put his bucket over his head, stretched his arms in front of him, and pretended he was a terrible, big-footed, bucket-headed monster.

Before long Dad and Neptune were far ahead. Sam tried to run to catch up, but in the big rubber boots his feet seemed to stumble over every single stone. Thankfully Dad stopped and Sam caught up.

“Well, this spot looks as likely as any,” he decided. “Let’s get to it! ”

Dad began to dig. It looked like hard work to Sam. Soon Dad was pulling small white clams the size of little cookies from the mud at the edges of the hole. Sam helped, squatting on his heels and picking out clams. In a nearby pool of water, Sam swished the mud from the clams and put them carefully in the bottom of the bucket, so as not to crack their shells. They seemed awfully little to Sam, but he knew they would be just right for chowder. He worked quietly alongside Dad until the big bucket was almost full.

I would like, thought Sam, to find a very large clam.

He looked up and down the beach. His gaze fell on the farthest dry island.

“I’m going to try digging by that island,” Sam announced to his dad. Surely I can find a very large clam way out there, he thought to himself. No one digs there, and I bet the clams grow huge.

Dad laid down his shovel and looked at his watch.

“You’d best be quick about it, Sam,” said Dad. “In fifteen minutes the tide will be turning to come in. Do you see that big rock there, the one with the driftwood log next to it?”

Sam nodded.

“Don’t go past that rock, and make sure you keep an eye on the water. Okay?”

“Sure thing, Dad,” replied Sam, as he tossed his digging spade in his bucket and scampered off down the beach. Neptune ran along beside him.

The receding tide had left pools of water, and Sam and Neptune splashed through just about all of them. A tiny ripple in one pool caught Sam’s eye: it was a wriggling eel! The slippery eel was impossible to catch as it slid through Sam’s fingers.

Just wait until I get my hands on a very large clam, thought Sam. I won’t let him get away.

Sam turned over a rock in another pool and peeled off an orange starfish. Thousands of clear tube-legs waved gently in the air. He looked for a giant clam in the mud under the rock, but all he saw was a baby crab. He picked it up carefully and held it out to Neptune.

“Careful, girl—it’s just a baby, but I’ll bet it could still pinch your nose,” Sam warned the sniffing dog. “Don’t worry. Clams don’t have pinchers.”

Sam wandered from pool to pool, finding squishy nudibranchs, spiny sea urchins, and brittle sea stars. But no large clam.

Under every rock and strand of kelp was a new and glistening treasure. Sam passed the big rock and the driftwood log without even noticing them.

When would he find that clam?

Just as he was about to give up, Sam saw something near the last island. It was a huge stream of water shooting up from the mud like a geyser.

“Look, Neptune!” cried Sam, jumping up and down with excitement. “Could that be the squirt of a very large clam?”