THE SNAPPY SNAPPING TURTLE
There was but one Snapping Turtle in the pond, and he was the onlyperson there who had ever been heard to wish for another. He had notalways lived there, and could just remember leaving his brothers andsisters when he was young. "I was carried away from my people," he said,"and kept on land for a few days. Then I was brought here and have madeit my home ever since."
One could tell by looking at him that he was related to the Mud Turtles.He had upper and lower shells like them, and could draw in his head andlegs and tail when he wanted to. His shells were gray, quite the colorof a clay-bank, and his head was larger than those of the Mud Turtles.His tail was long and scaly and pointed, and his forelegs were large andwarty. There were fine, strong webs between his toes, as there werebetween the toes of his relatives, the Mud Turtles.
When he first came to live in the pond, people were sorry for him, andtried to make him feel at home. He had a chance to win many friends andhave all his neighbors fond of him, but he was too snappy. When thewater was just warm enough, and his stomach was full, and he had sleptwell the night before, and everything was exactly as he wished it tobe,--ah, then he was a very agreeable Turtle, and was ready to talk inthe most gracious way to his neighbors. That was all very well. Anybodycan be good-natured when everything is exactly right and he can have hisown way. But the really delightful people, you know, are the ones whoare pleasant when things go wrong.
It was a Mud Turtle Father who first spoke to him. "I hope you'll likethe pond," said he. "We think it very homelike and comfortable."
"Humph! Shallow little hole!" snapped the one who had just come. "I bumpmy head on the bottom every time I dive."
"That is too bad," exclaimed the Mud Turtle Father. "I hope you divewhere there is a soft bottom."
"Sometimes I do and sometimes I don't," answered the Snapping Turtle. "Ican't bother to swim down slowly and try it, and then go back to dive.When I want to dive, I _want_ to dive, and that's all there is to it."
"Yes," said the Mud Turtle Father. "I know how it is when one has thediving feeling. I hope your head will not trouble you much, and that youwill soon be used to our waters." He spread his toes and swam stronglyaway, pushing against the water with his webbed feet.
"Humph!" said the Snapping Turtle to himself. "It is all very well totalk about getting used to these waters, but I never shall. I can hardlysee now for the pain in the right side of my head, where I bumped it. Orwas it the left side I hit? Queer I can't remember!" Then he swam toshallow water, and drew himself into his shell, and lay there andthought how badly he felt, and how horrid the pond was, and what poorcompany his neighbors were, and what a disagreeable world this is forSnapping Turtles.
The Mud Turtle Father went home and told his wife all about it. "What adisagreeable fellow!" she said. "But then, he is a bachelor, andbachelors are often queer."
"I never was," said her husband.
"Oh!" said she. And, being a wise wife, she did not say anything else.She knew, however, that Mr. Mud Turtle was a much more agreeable fellowsince he had married and learned to think more of somebody else than ofhimself. It is the people who think too much of themselves you know, whoare most unhappy in this world.
The Eels also tried to be friendly, and, when he dove to the bottom,called to him to stay and visit with them. "You must excuse us frommaking the first call," they said. "We go out so little in the daytime."
"Humph!" said the Snapping Turtle. "Do you good to get away from homemore. No wonder your eyes are weak, when you lie around in the mud ofthe dark pond-bottom all day. Indeed, I'll not stay. You can come to seeme like other people."
Then he swam away and told the Clams what he had said, and he actedquite proud of what was really dreadful rudeness. "It'll do them good tohear the truth," said he. "I always speak right out. They are as bad asthe Water-Adder. They have no backbone."
The Clams listened politely and said nothing. They never did talk much.The Snapping Turtle was mistaken though, when he said that the Eels andthe Water-Adder had no backbone. They really had much more than he, butthey wore theirs inside, while his was spread out in the shape of ashell for everybody to see.
He did not even try to keep his temper. He became angry one day becauseBelostoma, the Giant Water-Bug, ate something which he wanted forhimself. His eyes glared and his horny jaws snapped, and he waved hislong, pointed, scaly tail in a way which was terrible to see. "You are agood-for-nothing bug," he said. "You do no work, and you eat more thanany other person of your size here. Nobody likes you, and there isn't alittle fish in the pond who would be seen with you if he could help it.They all hide if they see you coming. I'll be heartily glad when you getyour wings and fly away. Don't let any of your friends lay their eggs inthis pond. I've seen enough of your family."
Of course this made Belostoma feel very badly. He was not a popular bug,and it is possible that if he could have had his own way, he would havechosen to be a Crayfish or a Stickleback, rather than what he was. Asfor his not working--there was nothing for him to do, so how could hework? He had to eat, or he would not grow, and since the Snapping Turtlewas a hearty eater himself, he should have had the sense to keep stillabout that. Belostoma told the Mud Turtles what the Snapping Turtle hadsaid, and the Mud Turtle Father spoke of it to the Snapping Turtle.
By that time the Snapping Turtle was feeling better natured and was verygracious. "Belostoma shouldn't remember those things," said he, movingone warty foreleg. "When I am angry, I often say things that I do notmean; but then, I get right over it. I had almost forgotten my littletalk with him. I don't see any reason for telling him I am sorry. He isvery silly to think so much of it." He lifted his big head quite high,and acted as though it was really a noble thing to be ugly and thenforget about it. He might just as sensibly ask people to admire him fornot eating when his stomach was full, or for lying still when he was tootired to swim.
When the Mud Turtle Mother heard of this, she was quite out of patience."All he cares for," said she, "is just Snapping Turtle, Snapping Turtle,Snapping Turtle. When he is good-natured, he thinks everybody else oughtto be; and when he is bad-tempered he doesn't care how other peoplefeel. He will never be any more agreeable until he does something kindfor somebody, and I don't see any chance of that happening."
There came a day, though, when the pond people were glad that theSnapping Turtle lived there. Two boys were wading in the edge of thepond, splashing the water and scaring all the people who were near them.The Sticklebacks turned pale all over, as they do when they are badlyfrightened. The Yellow Brown Frog was so scared that he emptied out thewater he had saved for wetting his skin in dry weather. He had a greatpocket in his body filled with water, for if his skin should get dry hecouldn't breathe through it, and unless he carried water with him hecould not stay ashore at all.
The boys had even turned the Mud Turtle Father onto his back in thesunshine, where he lay, waving his feet in the air, but not strongenough to get right side up again. The Snapping Turtle was taking a napin deep water, when the frightened fishes came swimming toward him asfast as their tails would take them. "What is the matter?" said he.
"Boys!" cried they. "Boys! The dreadful, splashing, Turtle-turningkind."
"Humph!" said the Snapping Turtle. "I'll have to see about that. Howmany are there?"
"Two!" cried the Sticklebacks and Minnows together.
"And there is only one of me," said the Snapping Turtle to himself. "Imust have somebody to help me. Oh, Belostoma," he cried, as the GiantWater-Bug swam past. "Help me drive those boys away."
"With pleasure," said Belostoma, who liked nothing better than this kindof work. Off they started for the place where the boys were wading. TheSnapping Turtle took long, strong strokes with his webbed feet, andBelostoma could not keep up with him. The Snapping Turtle saw this."Jump onto my back," cried he. "You are a light fellow. Hang tight."
Belostoma jumped onto the Snapping Turtle's clay-colored shell, and whenhe found himself slipping off
the back end of it, he stuck his clawsinto the Snapping Turtle's tail and held on in that way. He knew that hewas not easily hurt, even if he did make a fuss when he bumped his head.As soon as they got near the boys, the Snapping Turtle spoke over hisback-shell to Belostoma. "Slide off now," said he, "and drive away thesmaller boy. Don't stop to talk with these Bloodsuckers."
So Belostoma slid off and swam toward the smaller boy, and he ran outhis stout little sucking tube and stung him on the leg. Just then theSnapping Turtle brought his horny jaws together on one of the largerboy's feet. There was a great splashing and dashing as the boys ran tothe shore, and three Bloodsuckers, who had fastened themselves to theboy's legs, did not have time to drop off, and were carried ashore andnever seen again.
THERE WAS A GREAT SPLASHING AND DASHING. _Page 117_]
"There!" said the Snapping Turtle. "That's done. I don't know what thepond people would do, if you and I were not here to look after them,Belostoma."
"I'm glad I happened along," said the Giant Water-Bug quietly, "but youwill have to do it all after this. I'm about ready to leave the pond. Ithink I'll go to-morrow."
"Going to-morrow!" exclaimed the Snapping Turtle. "I'm sorry. Of courseI know you can never come back, but send your friends here to lay theireggs. We mustn't be left without some of your family."
"Thank you," said Belostoma, and he did not show that he rememberedsome quite different things which the Snapping Turtle had said before,about his leaving the pond. And that showed that he was a very wise bugas well as a brave one.
"Humph!" said the Snapping Turtle. "There is the Mud Turtle Father onhis back." And he ran to him and pushed him over onto his feet. "Oh,thank you," cried the Mud Turtle Mother. "I was not strong enough to dothat."
"Always glad to help my neighbors," said the Snapping Turtle. "Pleasantday, isn't it? I must tell the fishes that the boys are gone. The poorlittle fellows were almost too scared to swim." And he went away with areally happy look on his face.
"There!" said the Mud Turtle Mother to her husband. "He has begun tohelp people, and now he likes them, and is contented, I always told youso!"
Among the Pond People Page 12
