“Do they grow very old, Neale?”
“Old as Methuselah,” laughed Neale.
“No!”
“It’s a fact. Tortoises—sea turtles, too—grow to be hundreds of years old. They beat elephants and whales. This fellow——”
“He’ll get away if you turn him over,” Agnes cried.
“I’ll head him up the beach. I want to see——”
Over went the big turtle at that moment. Neale jumped on the corrugated shell and tried to hold the creature down. The sand slid from the shell and as the dull beast started to crawl up the strand, instead of into the sea, Agnes came nearer and pointed at something she saw.
“See there, Neale.”
“Look out! Don’t get in front of him!” Neale warned her. “His beak is as hard as iron.”
“Are those letters, Neale—words?” demanded Agnes, still staring at the turtle.