"Well, the turtle _could_ give him a bad bite," returned the Aquarium man.
"But if he holds on a little longer I'll get your boy."

The man jumped up on the ledge of the pool and made his way to the piece
of wood that held up the heavy wire screen which divided the turtle pool
into two parts, keeping the one big turtle away from the others. All this
while Freddie sat on the shell of the big turtle, his chubby legs dangling
in the water, and his hands grasping the edges of the shell behind the
front flippers. The turtle's neck was so short that it could not turn its
head to bite Freddie, nor could the big flippers reach him. As they had no
claws on the ends, they would have done no harm, anyhow, if they had
brushed him.

The greatest danger was that the turtle might suddenly sink down to the
bottom of the pool, and, though it was not very deep, it was deep enough
to have let Freddie drown.

Even though the small boy could swim, the turtle might attack him, or
knock his head under water, which would have been a great danger to
Flossie's brother. But, so far, the turtle did not show any wish to sink
below the water. It was frightened, that was certain, for it splashed
about in the pool and swam as fast as it could, carrying Freddie with it.
Freddie was such a small chap, and the turtle was so large, that it did
not mind the weight on its back. But there was no telling when it would
sink down.

"Take me off! Take me off!" cried Freddie again.

"That's all right," said the Aquarium man. "Don't be afraid, little boy.
The turtle won't hurt you, and we'll soon have you off his back. He won't