The Snail Race:

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 23037, 14 May 1938, Page 8 (Supplement)

The Snail Race:

By D. E. Tyson

dear, what shall we play I Jat next 1" said Wanda wearily, throwing herself down on to the smooth, cut lawn. The cousins had played every game they could think of, and still the holiday time hung heavily. They would have been busy at their school desks at this time, but an epidemic had prolonged the holidays until a safer time for the children to meet.

Daphne was sitting on a flat-topped boulder by the rockery, and as she poked listlessly with a stick on to the ground at her feet, she noticed two snails crawling up the rockery wall. The larger one crawled rapidly, leaving a silvery trail behind his slimy, tapering tail, while the other, its yellow shell covered with darker markings, pursued a more erratic course, zigzagging to and fro. After a minute or so, the big snail halted, to think over his sins perhaps, and the little companion, like the tortoise of the old, old fable, reached the top of the stone, and disappeared tinder a hanging ice plant. Suddenly Daphne's eyes began to sparkle. "I know," she cried. "Let's have a snail race."

Wanda looked puzzled. "How ever could we manage that?" she asked. "W<* only want a beard and a big stone to raise up one end. Snails always climb upward. C'ome on, it will be great fun; besides, Daddy said there were far too many snails in the garden," answered Daphne, springing up from her hard stone seat. "Where shall we find them?" asked Wanda, beginning to stir. "There's millions in the ivy-covered stone wall down by the orchard," informed the older girl. "First a board," she continued, as they entered the workshop. "Here is a lovely one, nice and smooth, and won't hurt the poor snails' feet." And they both giggled hysterically. The board Daphne selected was a planed and glass-papered piece of beautifully marked rimu that Daddy was carefully preparing to make a pretty afternoon-tea trav for Mummy's forthcoming birthday, but the cousins knew nothing of Daddy's hoarded secret. Back in the garden, they placed the board on to one of the projecting stones of the rockery, and then ran down to the ivy-covered wall. Soon they had collected over 50"unfortunate competitors, placing them into an old tin bucket, from which the unwilling captives immediately started to climb.

"There are far too many to go on to the board," said Wanda doubtfully. "We can run them in heats like they do at the sports and let the winners of each heat race again," replied Daphne with lofty assurance. It was very exciting placing the snails at the foot of the slippery board. Some immediately poked out their long "eyed" horns, and started to crawl

furiously, while another sat tight in a fit of the sulks, and surrounded himself anil his next-door competitor with a pile of frothy foam. Others disputed Daphne's argument of the upward trend by deliberately turning round and going the other way. A few started well, but gradually worked to the side of the hoard, where they promptly disappeared over the edge, and against • all rules, continued the race upside down! At length, after many gentle guidances with a twig, a tiny polished snail reached the top of the "course" and

was carefully picked up and put for safety into a cardboard box. "What shall we do wit h the others?" questioned . the practical Wanda. Daphne eyed the unsuccessful com- t petitors with distaste. "Daddy wotndn t like us to put them back on the wall. 1 am sure. They ate his baby lettuces and a!! the cucumber plants," he said. "Perhaps we had better drown them." "How horrid." cried Wanda with a

shudder. "Can't we put tliem into that old tin trunk in the shed, and let Uncle cover them up with that white powder stuff?" This more pleasant procedure (although not for the snails) was decided upon, and the two little girls rushed down to the wall for another contingent. Snail after snail had to "walk the plank" for its life, until the winners were gradually collected for the final event.

Daddy came home hefore it was run, and although he was horrified at the cruel treatment of his precious board, he was very amused and somewhat delighted at the novel and useful game. The next day, however, he asked Daphne what they did with the triumphant winner of the Great Snail Derby. "Oh. we couldn't kill him," she said, "so for a reward we put him into your prize zinnia box."