Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1885-07-01
THE GALAPAGOS ISLANDS.
Two days spent hunting Terrapln and Fish
ing Crawling knapsacks and beautiful

from Guaquil, Peru, owe their origin
to volcanic influences; and one OF the
group, the island of Albemarle, can
boast of peak $500 feet high. 1t has
long been extinct, but one has only TO
look upon its sharp peaks, and his
imagination will almost picture
column of fire ascending from 1t. We
have heard old seamen declare they
had seen a bright flame bursting forth
in the night from its top, and although
we knew they were mistaken, it goes
to show the power Of imagination.
These isles of rock might be called
desert islands, 50 devoid are they OF
anything in the vegetable line, moth
ing but cacti, whose rigid forms and
blunt te:minatiOns, suggesting dead
branches trees, could be seen from the
ship as we sailed along the shore,
mile or less distant.
The water around the islands is very
deep; sounding within half mile OF
| the shore we failed to get bottom with
our deepsea leadline, 100 fathoms long
| AS we run down the western slope
| of Albemarle island, we could not
help contrasting the sea to the land
| At sea there was so much life; count
less schools of flying fish driven to the
surface and kept on the wing by bonl-
tas and the beautiful dolphins and
| constantly harrased while on the wing
by such birds as the pelican and man.
| of-war hawks or frigate birds, the last
| a splendid bird, but natural thief.
| We have often watched the pelican
fishing industriously to be robbed by
the frigate bird, who driving the
pelican high in the air would force 1t
to disgorge, and would then secure
his prize before it reached the water.
| Following in our wake, and never
leaving us though We might travel
hundreds Of miles, is that little black
butterfly, "Mother Carey's chicken"
have watched them for days and
days, until l could almost indiyidual-
ize them. The sailor has no compan-
ion more constant than these little
birds. often wondered if they We're
not the.
"Sweet little cherub that sits up aloft, to
watch DER the fate of poor jack
that Dibdin tells about.
But If we would hunt the terrapln
on the morrow we must run in for the
shore. We lower two boats and with
their crews Of five men, each pulled
in fer strip of white sandy beach,
AS we draw near we notice some seals
basking in the warm afternoon sun,
and as we approach nearer their lead
er, q reat lion seal commences to
bark, the whole herd joining in a
harsh chorus. Our captain waiting
until we are within hundred yards
| aims directly for the breast ofthe lead
err and fires. We watch him fall and
the balance scuff1e off into the sea,
where they manifest their curiosity
by occasionally showing their heads
above water to look at us intruders.
We landed in Iguana cove, on the
west side of the island, and Bleaching
our boats hauled them up high and
dry out ofharms way, we then covered
them over with warping. That
evening we armed ourselves chasing
the birds and seals from their places
amongst the rocks. We saved the
skin from the seal to make raw-hide
ropes for our stearing apparatus.
The next morning we started fol
the mountain, in the dead crater OF
which we were to find the long wished
for terrapins. Our road led us over g
strip of country, the character Of
which, was no more than one should
expect from world born of fire, but
which was rather dampning to ones
previous conception of tropical seen
cry. Ragged volcanic peaks shoot in.
to the air, bare of vegetation and pre-
senting their rocky sides to the suns
glare in way that suggested their
having been subjected to a heat fully
as intense as his own. Cacti and the
broad-leaved pricl1ly pear are on every
hand, and here and there the wild
sage, or plant resembling it, crops
out on the surface in little patches.
Great iguanas and bright different
colored lizards skip out of our road,
and occasionally we startle pelican
or boobie from off her nest. At last
we arrive at the crater and the scene
is transformed as ifby magic. We
no sooner pass the confines of scoria
and lava, than we come upon q beauti-
full valley of rich vegetation. Long
grass almost knee deep and hidden
amongst it the terrapin. The first one
| we sight suggests all overloaded
soldiers knapsack; black, repulsive
looking fellows, nothing like our
handsome sea turtles. We found more
than we could possibly carry away.
There were terrapin here that would
weigh I think $50 pounds. Tying their
fore and hind legs together we sling
them on our backs, by putting our
arms through the loops; very much
like a knapsack. They have a cavity
in the bottom shell that fitted our
shoulders nicely, and after we are all
loaded we start for the beach. I'M
agine yourself harm essed to a fifty
pound turtle, and walking down hill
over road that never came under the
supervision of a Stevens county path
master. Add to this a tropical sun
and the kicking of the fiend on your
back, and small wonder if you feel
as if you had earned your dinner by
the time you reach the boats. But the
appetite one cultivates under these
circumstances will be always repaid
by his first meal off terrapin. My pen
would fail me in depicting that first
meal. No epicurean from Delmonico's