“Here; I’ll cut its head off,” said Jerry, coming forward with the knife.
“No, no!” exclaimed the professor. “It is too valuable to spoil. Just take the point of the blade, and pry the jaws open while I hold it steady.”
Jerry tried to do this, but the turtle only seemed to grip the tighter, and the professor’s thumb was bitten through nearly to the bone.
“What shall I do?” wailed Mr. Snodgrass. “I don’t want to kill it.”
“I have it!” exclaimed Ned. “There’s a little puddle of water over there beside the road. Dip the turtle in it, and he’ll think he can swim. Then he’ll let go.”
“Good!” cried the professor as he proceeded to put the plan in operation. “Then I can save him alive.”
The scheme worked well. As soon as the turtle felt the water it let go, and started to swim off. But the puddle was too shallow, and the professor, watching his chance, grabbed the reptile again. This time he took care to catch it at the middle of the shell, where the turtle could not reach around and bite.
“I have it, after all,” remarked the scientist as he deposited his prize in a box, and proceeded to put some salve and a rag on his thumb. “It’s a rare specimen. I’m glad I got it.”
“And we’re all glad we didn’t get it,” spoke Jerry with a laugh in which the others joined. But the professor took it good naturedly. He was used to such accidents he said.