Червона чума
Chapter 1
Theoldmanacceleratedhispace,sniffingeagerlyashenearedthefire.
“Mussels!”hemutteredecstatically. “Mussels!Andain’tthatacrab,Hoo-Hoo?Ain’tthatacrab? My,my,youboysaregoodtoyouroldgrandsire.”
Hoo-Hoo,whowasapparentlyofthesameageasEdwin,grinned.
“Allyouwant,Granser.Igotfour.”
Theoldman’spalsiedeagernesswaspitiful. Sittingdowninthesandasquicklyashisstifflimbswouldlethim,hepokedalargerock-musselfromoutofthecoals. Theheathadforceditsshellsapart,andthemeat,salmon-colored,wasthoroughlycooked. Betweenthumbandforefinger,intremblinghaste,hecaughtthemorselandcarriedittohismouth. Butitwastoohot,andthenextmomentwasviolentlyejected. Theoldmansplutteredwiththepain,andtearsranoutofhiseyesanddownhischeeks.
Theboysweretruesavages,possessingonlythecruelhumorofthesavage. Tothemtheincidentwasexcruciatinglyfunny,andtheyburstintoloudlaughter. Hoo-Hoodancedupanddown,whileEdwinrolledgleefullyontheground. Theboywiththegoatscamerunningtojoininthefun.
“Set’emtocool,Edwin,set’emtocool,”theoldmanbesought,inthemidstofhisgrief,makingnoattempttowipeawaythetearsthatstillflowedfromhiseyes. “Andcoolacrab,Edwin,too. Youknowyourgrandsirelikescrabs.”
Fromthecoalsaroseagreatsizzling,whichproceededfromthemanymusselsburstingopentheirshellsandexudingtheirmoisture. Theywerelargeshellfish,runningfromthreetosixinchesinlength.
