noon
It ran again over bars of sand and stones , and Baree began to nose along the edge of the shallows . For a long time he had no success . The few crayfish that he saw were exceedingly lively and elusive , and all the clamshells were shut so tight that even Kazan 's powerful jaws would have had difficulty in smashing them . It was almost noon when he caught his first crayfish , about as big as a man 's forefinger . He devoured it ravenously . The taste of food gave him fresh courage . He caught two more crayfish during the afternoon .