Page:Dave Porter at Oak Hall.djvu/200

180, and there, in a box on the floor, was a big turtle, blinking and winking drowsily.

"A snapper!" cried Dave. "He'll create a sensation all right enough."

Between them the two boys took some slats off the top of the box which held the turtle. Then they dragged the box to a side door of the dining room, and making sure they were not seen, dumped the turtle right side up on the floor.

At first the creature did not know what to make of its liberty, but soon it stretched its long neck, gave a shake of its head, and started awkwardly across the dining-room floor toward a center table where a number of ladies and gentlemen were eating. While this was going on Dave and Buster slipped back into their seats.

"Did you hear about that turtle they've got here?" asked Dave, in a tone loud enough for many in the dining room to hear.

"Terribly vicious creature," put in Buster, in a tone equally loud. "They say he nearly bit off the hand of one of the waiters."

"The cook wants to make soup of the turtle, but he doesn't know how to manage the fellow," continued Dave. "He snaps and bites something awful."

"I saw that turtle," said one of the other boys, innocently. "He was in a crate in a side room. He did look pretty ugly."