The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1877-05-19
Turtle Tttrpiu0 an Natural.

After leaving Cocos Island (says
South American trayeler), we passed
through quantities of sleeping and float
ing turtle. On many of their backs were
perched birds, and almost invariably,
when boat approached them, the bird
would give three or four sharp pecks on
the turtles back, to apprise him of his
danger, before flying off themselves
The temperature, which up 10 The
equator had been quite cool and pleasant,
at about five degrees north became dis
agreeably warm, the thermometer con-
stantly showing as much as ninety de-
grees in the shade. The sea was smooth
as mill-pond, and as considerable guam
titles of turtle still 1oated on the surface,
| determined to try my hand at catch
ing one.
Getting a boat one afternoon, and
arming the crew with boarding pixies to
keep of sharks, large one having been
seen swimming round the ship in the
morning, / took a log-line with a running
moose and set of; my intention being to
swim up gently to the sleeping turtle,
fasten tie line round one of his back
fins, and allow the boats crew to haul
him in.
A turtle was soon sighted from the
ship, and, pulling in the direction poin-
ted out to us, We saw his shell shining
above the water as the long, gentle ocean
swell caused him slowly to rise and fall.
When within fifty yards of where he lay,
the boat stopped rowing, and taking the
end of the line between my teeth, swan
silently toward him, one of the boat
crew paying out rope to me as l wanted
1T. When, however, within few strokes
of my sleeping friend, he put his head
out of water, looked at me, and was of
before could reach him. 1t was rather
discouraging; however, l determined to
try again, and another and larger one be-
ing soon discovered, we pulled very
quietly up, and I resumed the same
tactics. This time slipped extra noise
lessly into the water and swan with the
utmost caution, but just as was getting
the moose ready, up came the head and
down went the turtle. This time, how
ever, l was not to be done. Turtle,
though they swim at fair pace when
they once get way on; are slow starters ;
and never under any circumstances, no
matter how greatly alarmed, do they
dive perpendicularly. Knowing this,
the instant l saw his head rise | threw
away the Longtime, and gave way all |
knew after the alarm and fast disappear
ing chase.
1t was pretty hard swimming to collar
him, but knowing that unless l got level
in less than thirty strokes l might shut
up, l did all knew, and coming up be-
fore he got steam on, seized him by a
hand fipper and held on like grim death.
1t was regular case of pull devil, pull
baker, the turtle doing his best to get
down, and trying equally hard to pre-
vent him. He was uncommonly lively
and kicked like mad, cutting my bands
good deal with the sharp nails on his
fins. Once he got my head under water :;
however, when he did SO I managed to
get hold of his other fipper with my left
hand, and succeed in getting him over
on his back, where held him, until the
boat coming up, hauled us both in
together. l caught a smaller one by fair
swimming, as from some reason best
known to himself he did not dive more
than three feet below the surface. Start
ing about ten yards behind him, I got
level and had his fin in about minutes
spin, judging from the time he detected
the presence of an enemy, and succeeded
in taking him to the boat.
1t was capital fun, and had it not been