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SO Timothy Turtle struggled
up the steep face of the bluff. And as he neared the top Mr. Crow began
to hop
up and down upon the old pine stump. He was almost bursting with silent
laughter. But he succeeded in keeping quiet. And now and then
he made
threatening motions toward Jasper Jay and his friends, who stuck their
heads
from behind limbs of trees and hummocks and bushes, lest they miss any
of the
fun.
Once on top of the great
rock that capped the bluff and hung out over the creek, Timothy Turtle
clung
there and peered down at the gently flowing water below.
"What a long way it is
down there!" be called to Mr. Crow.
"Don't think about
that!" Mr. Crow cautioned him.
"Is this the way Mr.
Alligator learned to fly?" Timothy Turtle demanded.
"Don't think about
him!" Mr. Crow shouted. "Just jump out as far as you can!"
"I believe I don't care
to fly to-day," Timothy Turtle faltered, drawing back from the edge of
the
rock. "I – I'll wait till some other time. You know, I'm
older than you
are."
"Tut, tut!" said
Mr. Crow. "When I'm your age I shall still be flying as well as I do
now.
It's nothing, when you know how. Nothing at all!"
Urged
by Mr. Crow, Timothy Turtle once more crept to
the very edge of the cliff and stretched his neck out as far as he
could, to
gaze down at the black water. And at last, after making several false
starts
and drawing back to a place of safety, he stood up on his hind legs,
shut his
eyes, and hopped off into space.
Now, the moment Timothy
Turtle leaped from the top of the bluff a deafening squawk
broke the silence.
Old Mr. Crow cawed
as loud as
he knew how. But the racket he made was as nothing compared
with the uproar of Jasper Jay and the noisy crew he had brought with
him. They
squalled with delight as Timothy Turtle plunged through the air like a
stone.
And when he landed upside down in the creek, striking the water with a
great
splash, the whole company shrieked louder than ever.
"Ha! ha! ha!" Mr. Crow cried, holding his
sides and rocking
backwards and forwards upon the old stump.
"Jay! jay! jay!" Jasper and his friends
bawled, hopping up and down
and cutting capers in the air.
As for Timothy Turtle, he
made no sound at all. And neither did he make the slightest motion. The
current
of Black Creek caught him and bore him away down the stream. But at
last he
managed to paddle ashore. And he pulled himself slowly out of
the water, and
lay upon the sand and groaned.
Mr. Crow and his cronies
gathered quickly about him.
"What's the
matter?" Mr. Crow inquired. "Don't you like flying?"
It was some time before
Timothy could answer.
"I've had an awful
fall," he moaned finally.
"Where are you
hurt?" Mr. Crow asked him.
"Everywhere!"
Timothy Turtle told him.
"I thought you said that water was soft to fall into."
"Well, isn't it?"
"It certainly is not,"
Timothy Turtle declared. "I believe there's nothing harder in the whole
world. . . . I've heard, sir, that you are very wise. But for once,
anyhow,
you've made a great mistake."
Old Mr. Crow coughed
– and
winked at his friends.
"The trouble was"
– he explained – "the trouble was, you lost your
balance and landed in the
creek upside down. And of course you couldn't fly in that position.
It's what's
called 'turning turtle, '" he added, "and I might have known
– if I
had stopped to think – that you'd be sure to do it."
"Well," said Timothy Turtle, drawing a long breath, "I'll tell you right now that I'll never, never, turn turtle again."