The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-07-25
SPORTS ON THE GULF.
happening Big Turtles Which SleoI
with One Eye Open.

happening Big Turtles Which Sleep
with One Eye Open.
| The turtle is Justly considered feast
for the gods. The way people usually
capture the prize is to wait for Mrs
Turtle when she comes ashore to lay
her eggs on the sand beach and to turn
her on her back with handspike; but,
according TO the New York Tribune,
there is much more fun with much bet
ter sport in catching turtles by har-
poon;rg, e method followed among the
KEYS and coral banks which fringe the
coast OF the Gulf OF Mexico. The har-
poon consists of a short shaft made OF
iron, which fits loosely into a wooden
pole about nine feet long. Around the
shaft lire is fastened. which should
be strong ard about sixty fathoms
long. The barb of the harpoon Is
about an inch long, having two notch
es If longer than this it is liable to
pierce deeper than the shell and per-
! haps kill the turtle, which the fisher
man has no wish to do. The best sort
of boat to use is a ffteen-foot sl1iT,
with simply lug SAIL" which can be
dropped in q hurry. 4 crew OF two is
necessary, one to look after the sails
and be handy with a pair of cars. while
the other looks after the tiller. 1t is
OF no use to go after turtles in a calm.
They sleep in the shallow water which
fringes the keys, and always sleep with
one eye open, SO that using the oars
sends the animals off like streak of
light long before one is within striking
distance 1t is when the surface OF the
water is rippled by the breeze that one
has a chance of making catch. SO that
the fishing generally has to take place
in the afternoon.
The harpooner stands in the bows
with the line carefully rolled between
his feet. He has to keep sharp look
out, and as soon as he espies turtle
resting on the white sandy bottom,
surrounded by sponges, he directs the
helmsnac by hand. AS one gets above
the creature down goes the harpoon,
the striker holding fast to the handle,
for the water is seldom more than five
feet deep. If the strike is a successful
one the pole comes from the harpoon
and is thrown into the boat. The sail
must be lowered instantly, the oars
taken out and the boat headed in the
direction the turtle has taken. As
soon as this is done a strain is gener-
ally put on the line and the tur-
tie is soon towing the boat. This
quickly puts the animal out of breath
and he has to come to the surface ior
air In about half an hour, as a rule,
he is alongside the boat, considerably
exhausted. He is not, however, in the
boat yet, and it is now the duty of the
man who has charge of the tiller to
jump overheard and turn the turtle
over on his back. This is DO easy task,
and the man generally has two or three
good duckings before he is successful.
Not infrequently the animal makes a
final dash for freedom, and the boat has
to head FOR the new direction taken,
and the steersman Is left in the water.
Even when it is turned it is not SO
easy to haul four hundred-pound ami
nal into the boat which usually is half
full of water before the captive is
vainly tapping fms at the bot
tom of the boat. Sometimes the tur-
tie heads for the deep water, and if so
it generally takes from two to three
hours to land them, as they will sink
to the bottom and sulk there, coming
up tor hreath only at long intervals