"
"Um-m! what lots of them you have eaten!" said Thorn, looking over the
big pile.
"Yes," said Periwinkle, with a laugh, "we live on them."
"But you see," Foam went on, "our people have lived here for a long
time--longer than my grandfather can remember. And the shell mounds
have been growing all that time. There are many other shell heaps all
along this shore, where more of our people live."
Thorn looked down to the water's edge and saw men pulling hollow logs
down to the shore.
[Illustration: Dug-out boat]
"They are going fishing in the dug-outs," said Periwinkle. "Come on,
we will go with them."
The boys ran down to the shore and jumped into a boat that the men had
pushed out into the water. Then the men also jumped in, and paddled
out with sticks.
"Why do you call these dug-outs?" asked Thorn, rubbing his hand along
the side of the boat.
"Because they are dug-outs," laughed Periwinkle. "You will see them
made some day."
"Well, why do they not turn over?" Thorn asked next.
"Because they are flat on the bottom."
The dug-outs kept together and went a little way out to sea. One man
had a bone spear. He saw a fish lying on the bottom and speared it.
"Oh, it is a flounder," said Periwinkle. "See, it is white on one
side. It lies on that side. It is gray on the top side, and both the
eyes are there."
Other men had long strings and bone hooks.
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