“Not if I don’t put my hand too near its mouth,” Cousin Jasper answered. “If I did that it would take hold of me, as it took hold of Flossie’s dress. But I’m not going to let it. Did the turtle scare you, little fat fairy?”
“I—I guess it did,” she answered. “Anyhow I hollered.”
“You certainly did,” her father said with a laugh. “At least, you hallooed.”
“What are you going to do with it?” asked Bert, as he watched the big turtle, which still had hold of the piece torn from Flossie’s bathing skirt.
“We’ll eat him—that is part of him, made into soup,” answered Cousin Jasper.
“Can’t he get away?” Nan inquired.
“Not when he’s on his back,” said Mr. Dent. “That’s how the people down here catch turtles. They go out on the beach, and when any of the crawling creatures are seen, they are turned over as soon as possible. There they stay until they can be picked up and put into a boat to be taken to the mainland and sold.”
“Can they bite hard?” asked Bert.
“Pretty hard, yes. See what a hold it has of Flossie’s dress. I had to tear it to get it loose,” returned Mr. Bobbsey. And the turtle still held in his mouth, which was like the beak of a parrot, a piece of the cloth.
“He looks funny,” put in Nan. “But I feel sorry for him.”