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DRAWN BY A TURTLE 123 |
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next fair, an answer that evoked peals of merriment from his brothers.
Our first thought on reaching home was the turtle, which we immediately turned on his back, that we might strip off the shell, and make use of some of the flesh while it was fresh. Taking my hatchet, I separated the upper and under shell all round. The upper shell is extremely convex ; the under, on the contrary, is nearly flat. I cut away as much of the flesh of the animal as was sufficient for a meal, and laid the rest carefully on the under shell, which served as a dish, recommending my wife to cook what I had cut off, on the other shell, with no other seasoning than a little salt. She asked to be allowed to cut off the green fat adhering all round, upon which I laughingly told her that that was the greatest delicacy of all, and esteemed at banquets in Europe food for kings. I then rubbed salt on what we meant to keep, and gave the rest to the dogs.
' Oh, dear papa,' cried Francis, ' do give me the shell.'
' No, no,' cried out the others ; and one and all claimed it.
I declared that it belonged entirely to Fritz; ' but,' I continued, ' I should like to ask what each |
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