The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-11-11
OLD KING TURTLE.
A LEGENDARY MYTH WHICH NATu-
RALISTS OFTEN RUN ACROSS.

have travelled for years up and down
our river and know every nook and corner
OF our meadows and swamps. There is
not creek valley that have not trodden
nor little brook that / have not traced,
and about no one OF these places, great or
small, have l ever been lucky enough to
see an extraordinary turtle, and yet II
CHANGED TO meet with some one of our local
hunters or fishermen have seldom failed
TO hear the legend of King Turtle. 1 heard
It almost 90 years ago and heard the same
story within a week. 1t is an account of
SO prominent and patriarchal creature
that IL Is proper to use capitals. No COM
monplace chelonian this, but king
among them. find there is practically
no difference In the narration, whether
told by the octogenarian who has retired
from the field or by the active hunter of
today. AS in the wider spread myth Of
the hoop snake, every one of my informants
has seen the king, but nobody has captured
him.
The story, told me scores of times by as
many men and in the same way, has one
feature that makes it possibly OF value to
the folklore student. The narrator has al
ways escaped actual molestation, being
merely robbed OF his hooks and lines, and
his father or some acquaintance older than
he has run greater risk from still clos
er encounter. All this of course places
King Turtle among our myths. IL will
readily be seen TO be too realistic n story
not to make a very vivid impression on
tho mind of boy, and he, firmly believing
in the creatures existence, will certainly
renew In his own experiences. aided by
fear and imagination, all that he has heard
from his elders.
Thus runs the legend as last told me by
an old man of the meadows: 1 found old
Thornbush sitting in a sheltered nook,
dreaming the morning hours away in the
delightfully."- warm winter sunshine. AS l
approached he looked up, nodded, and
then looked away over the broad expanse
of lowlands and the shining river that
sparkled as it hurried by its we'll wooded
shores Although was unnoticed beyond
the most formal recognition, sat down
near him without breaking the silence for
n few moments, and then ventured to ask
him Of what no was thinking.
"Of other times than these, lad, when
the country wasn't so worn out, he re-
Piled and continuing, after a brief pause,
there's nothin much left now but the
bare ground. No huntin. flshin or goin
after tortles. 1t was as much fun as work
when / was a lad, and no comm back
empty handed neither"
l was glad the old man mentioned tor
ties, " for thought Immediately of tho old
story and asked him if no had ever caught
king turtle.
"Ketch him!" he exclaimed. "Why,
lad, there's only one, and nobody ever
ketched him. I've seen him, though"
"Then, won't you please tell me when
and where'" asked.
Old Thornbush looked at me with an
uncomfortably searching glance, as If to
determine why l asked, and then re-
marked:
sit was well on to 40 years ago. was
down at the big bend o. the creek, where
the elms hang over the water, baitin snap
per hooks, and / heard, all o. sudden,
a-hissin and splashin ahead o. me, and,
lookin up, l see King Tortle standin up
like, in the water, and starin right at me.
His head was bigger'n my fist, and his
eyes showed all the fire that was in 'em.
was more'n taken back, for sure, and
most fell out o the boat, and when
looked again l seen his shell, big as the
bottom of "a washtub, floatin on the water,
and then 1t sunk. knowed it was no use
settin hooks, but somehow / went on,
kind o. dazed like, and then started for
home, but my boat wouldn't move.
showed an oar into the mud, and it was
sort o. jerked to one side, and just missed
goin overheard. Then L knowed what
was up. Old King Tortle was a-keepin
me. got weak as a kitten, when, all o.
a sudden, the boat shot up stream, and
when l elected my senses 1 set to rowin
fest as my arms would let me"
lis that allf' L asked, for the old man
stopped talking suddenly and looked stead
tasty in the direction Of which he had
been speaking, for the old elms on the
creek shore were plainly in view, and
could see, in Imagination, all that he de-
scribed.
"Ain't it enough?" he asked and then
went on as IL there had been no Interrupt
tion. II went next morning to the place,
and there wasn't n hook on any o. my
lines and not many o. them. Every one
was cut off clean. / was fool to leave
'em, but somehow thought must and
think King Tortle Sort o. charms you like
a sarpint does little bird. Well, just as
was gittin out o. the place the old tortle
came up out o the water, but not a-look-
In es he did af1re. He sort o. grinned,
nth his mouth wide open, and there was
my hooks and bits o. lines hung round his
chops like an old mans beard"
"Why didn't you shoot himS" 1 asked.
Hadn't no gun with me for one thing
and wouldn't "a dared anyway. Why,
lad, he's bullet proof, course, and no man
In his senses Is goin TO monkey with King
Tortle II he knows It," And old Thornbush
gave me a look OF mingled contempt and
soorn for asking such a silly question.
did not realize at the time the force OF
the conviction In the old man mind as to
what he had been saying, and most I'M
timely therefore was my further remark,
"Do you really expect me to believe all
that?'
Old Thornbush s eyes showed all the fire
that was In them. He looked like the big
turtle he had described and fairly thun-
dered: "B'lieve IL or not as you choose.
But do you s'pose I've lived here all my
life and hunted for 80 years and don't
know what I'm talkin aboutp If you
don't b'lieve It, go tortlin on your own
hook and find out, and 1 bet you done
point no gun at King -ortle II he shows
up. Why, boy, don't you know that tor
tie purity nigh killed my daddyf"