St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-06-07
DIVING FOR TURTLE.
DeXtePOuS Swimmers at Coral
Isles in the Pa
cific.
AmphibiOus Boatmen Who Are
at Home in the
Water.
Exciting Struggles That
Take Place Beneath
Seas.
Dangerous Work for Divers
Who Plunge to Bot
toms.

take seat at the stern, for now we
have other work IN hand.
kutti Ali, a spare but sinewy boat
man OF middle age, takes our post or
the high-peaked, decked-in bows, and
atanding up, shades his eyes with his
hands and looks abroad. He Is intent
on action, for as he looks he tightly
girds his lOins, after slowing away Sc
curely in corner of the boat his small
packet of betel leaf, areca nut, tobacco
and lime, and a bright-colOred handker
chief, of which he is very proud. His
skull cap. too for is not he true fol
lower of the prophet of Mecca?, is laid
aside, and all superfluous clothing with
it, and he stands before US with loins
girt, looking, in his bronzed and sinewy
strength, perfect athlete, ready for
action.
A word or two from him puts spirit
into our boatmen, who quicken into a
short, sharp, steady stroke. and an ex-
cited culver runs through us all, for
oui game is in sight. Where? We look
intently in the direction in which our
boat is heading, but can discern moth
ing. The water is deep-ten, twelve,
fifteen feet or more-but the bottom is
of pure white coral sand, illuminated
by the blazing sun overhead. Patches
of living coral Of darker shade are
strewn here and there about the lagoon,
evidently now heading, though it
is still 100 yards away. Kutti
Ali, from his point of van
tage in the bows, has seen a
small, dark shadow pass into that clump
o frOck: he has been watching intently
since, and that shadow has not passed
beyond the clump in any direction. At
word from the lookout. our bOatmen
slow down as we approach the dark
path. Can Kutti Ali have been mis-
taken as to that shadow? For we reach
the place, some ten or twelve yards In
+ diameter, ana still nothing appears. The
boat had almost disappeared, the oars
are still, and we are just beginning to
peer down into the clear depths when,
with flash, something suddenly springs
into active life down below. The rogue!
he has found safety in the dark shades
of living coral patch before in his life
time, else he would not have lain so
still, to be startled at last almost like a
hare from its fOlm.
THE TURTLE IN THE DEPTHS.
Out into the clear, sunny depths over
lying the coral sands he flashes. We
catch sight of him for an instant as he
the boat to get her round, for he has
taken us at disadvantage, and is off
on our port quarter. Even Kutti Ali.
still standing in the bows, helps in get
ting the boat round, using for this pur-
pose long bamboo pole. laid ready to
his hand, but without taking his eye for
an instant aOff that quickly fleeing
shadow under the water. The boat is
round at last, but with all our haste
that fleeting shadow has gained seventy
yards on us or more in the interval, and
is making for much larger patch of
rocks lying close to the reef and the
deep sea beyond. If he gains that
patch we shall, in all probability, lose
him, for he will gain the reef and reach
the sea while we are looking for him.
That patch of rocks he must not be per-
mitted to reach.
AS the boats head comes straight, SIX
pairs of lusty arms settle down to get
up to that patch of rock before that
swiftly fleeing shadow can reach it.
'.Valliavalli-oracka valli, kuttigale!
Pull-Pull-pull strong, 0 my chill
v,
pering about on the foredeck, brandish-
ing alOft his long bamboo pole the
while. We are gaining undoubtedly.
but half the distance is done and still
the shadow fleets steadily ahead of us.
A quarter of the distance only remains
and the flying shadow is still ahead,
though distinctly visible now. Can he
keep it up and do the best time Oh rec
ord in the turtle world? believed he
would have escaped only that knowing
fellow in the bows is up to tricks.
TIE DIVERS PLUNGE.
Now comes the time for the man in
the bows to display his skill. Watch
him as he poises himself prepatory to
his spring-fsts clinched, arms bent at
the elbows and pressed closely to his
sides. Watching his chance, he swings
his body slowly back, posing it on his
left leg, and as the boat, still going at
racing pace, reaches alongside within a
yard or two of the turtle, he springs
clear into the air over the starboard
bow, and, turning face toward us in the
air as he springs, disappears feet down.
ward into the water, yard or two
ahead of the turtle. AS the boat shoots
rapidly past the spot, we see for in
slant in the troubled water a confused
tumble of legs and feet and arms and
flippers. But our quarry has evidently
been hunted before. for as the bOatman
touched the water he turned suddenly,
and just in time to evade the grasp of
the flipperS. Turning back under the
beat, he again put his old game in
practice, and inthe excitement of the
moment our steersman springs headfOre-
most into the water to intercept him,
and fails.
Two men in the water to be picked
I'D. besides Sundry things which in the
hurry and excitement of the moment
have gone overheard on voyages on
their own account, give our quarry
abundant time to make tracks; but he
cannot now go the pace he did. The
men are picked up, the floating things,
too. the boat is turned round, and again
we are Off in pursuit.
Quickly overtaking him once more on
the port bow Kutti Ali this time vows
to have him. Again the spring in the
air. again the quick face turn toward
his antagonist, again the confused jum-
bic of feet and legs and arms aud flip
perS down below. and once more the
old dodge of doubling sharp back-but
nimble as they were. A hind flipper
comes within reach of Kutti Ais vice
like grip and Is held fast by the one
hand, while, reaching forward with the
other. fore flipper is also grasped high
uD. The race is over, our prey is cap
tured.
THE MONSTER FINALLY CAPTURED.
As man and turtle rise quickly to
the surface another boatman-they are
all amphibious-jumps overheard to as
sist the laughing. breathless, but exul-
tant diver. The turtle is turned on his
back in the water, puifs out his chin,
draws long, wheeling breath through
his horny beak and nostrils, struggles
for an instant with his captors. and then
SubmisSively yields to fate.
One gunwale of the boat is gently in
cllned downward, hands in the boat