noon
Rick showed Orvil Harris through the boat , then sat with him and Scotty in the cockpit , sipping steaming coffee . The crabber talked willingly about his business . `` Not much profit , '' he reported , `` but it beats workin ' . '' After hearing about a crabber 's life , rising in the middle of the night , rain or shine , working crab lines and hauling baskets around until noon , Rick wondered what Harris would consider hard work . Having spent a dollar for six steamed crabs a few nights before , he was also amazed to hear the crabber report that he received only six dollars a bushel for `` jumbo '' crabs and three dollars a bushel for `` culls , '' or medium ones . All under four and a half inches from tip to tip were thrown back . Rick waited a courteous length of time before asking the question that had been on his mind since hearing the crabber 's name .