The turtle, finding that it could no longer swim, had come to the top
of the water and was splashing about, trying to get loose. Jan could
see it plainly now, as Ted had seen it before from his boat, which was
still floating along, as not so much water had leaked in as had seeped
into his sister's.
"Oh, isn't it a big one!" cried Jan. "It's a big turtle."
"It surely is!" assented Ted. "He could bite hard if he got hold of
you."
"Is he biting my rope?" Janet asked.
"No, it's round one of his front legs," replied Ted. "There! he's got
it loose!"
"There he goes!" shrieked Jan.
By this time the mud turtle, which was a very large one, had struggled
and squirmed about so hard in the water that he had shaken loose the
knot in the end of Jan's rope. The knot had been caught under its left
front leg and when the turtle swam or crawled along on the bottom, the
rope had been held tightly in place, and so the box was pulled along.
But when Jan's boat sank and went aground, the turtle could not pull
it any farther, and had to back up, just as Nicknack the goat
sometimes backed up his cart. This made the rope slack, or loose, and
then the creature could shake the knot of the rope out from under its
leg.
"There it goes!" cried Ted, as the turtle swam away. "Oh, what a
whopper! It's bigger than the big muskrat!"
"Your muskrat didn't give you a ride Ted, and my turtle gave me a fine
one," said Jan.
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