“Where?” demanded Vevi.
In her eagerness to see, she turned around fast and struck the oars. They clattered loudly.
“He’s gone now,” said the fisherman. “You’ll have to be quiet if you want to catch one.”
Vevi and Sunny kept as still as they could. The sun beat down on them and they were rather uncomfortable. They began to think they never would see another turtle.
Then the fisherman without saying a word, pointed a few yards ahead of them. At first Vevi and Sunny didn’t see anything unusual. Then they noticed a black head peeping up amid the lily pads.
The fisherman eased the boat forward. While it drifted, he picked up a net from the bottom of the craft.
So fast that Vevi and Sunny were astonished, he swished the net into the water directly under the turtle.
“Got him,” he announced triumphantly.
Wrapped in the folds of the net was a spotted turtle. It clawed at the netting trying to escape.
“He’s not too likely a specimen,” declared the fisherman. “But at least he’s a turtle you can enter in the race. Now we’ll get one for the little girl with the big smile.”