The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-10-08
FUN in TURTLE FISHING.
GOLD HUNTERS IN LOWER CALIFOR-
MA SUCCUMB TO THE SPORT.
A Party That Gave UP Hunting for For
tune for Hunting for Turtles and Got
More Pleasure Out of It-Towed Out to
Sen by a urtle-TurninK-Tur Story.


from trim little schooner Just in from Lower Cali
fornia, why. I've been down TO the original manu-
factory where they make il Hunting, fishing
and all the rest Of IT, You know this last gol6
stampede thoy had, most of the miners went over
land but thought would go by sea, 80 char
tered this schooner with half dozen friends and
fitted her out with camping outfit We didn't
get any gold but had the time of our lives,
and left lot of American gold among the dagos
which they need bad enough / don't mean to
say that there's gold on the peninsula, as
there is heaps of it and some of the finest mines
going, but they have a way down there of getting
up placer boom every year or 80, and though
many people have been stuck and fooled they all
go again Just as regular, never learning any
thing by experience. I'm that way myself this
is the fourth boom I've been on; got left every
time. But had lots Of sport as always go ixed
so that if we don't get gold we get game.
Il don't think II is a put UP job In all these
mining e1citements some strikes fairly
rich placer and tries TO keep it quiet and the more
he tries the more people think he has got a big
thing; then the move begins, and the excitement
grows until there is line of teams leading down
into Mexico that's been the experience for years.
One or two get something: few more make day
wages. and a good many come back dead broke.
However, we got something, as say; we had the
sport We went u Ensenada first where there
is good bay. and from there struck across coun-
try to the placers, about fifty miles away. When
We got there, there was town started with fifty
tents. Two Of our party staid a month and got
few nuggets, but the rest OF us became disg listed
in two weeks The cause of our leaving was
half Indian. half Mexican named Manuel, whom
we had engaged TO cook for us. One day things
got pretty low, so far grub was concerned and
Manuel said. I wish was home I'd have green
turtle soup Where's that? l asked Why,
down at Turtle Bay. three four hundred miles
from here
Il hadn't had turtle soup for long time and
the idea occurred to me that the turtle hunting
would be great sport Much big turtle?' asked
Manuel 81 moocha grande he said. Mocha
grande sport You taxa harpoon so, sabe and
he took stick and poised You pua up on
moochs grande tortuga and bif! he tow you heap
oil round Can you take 70 this green turtle
country Manuel? / asked. Isl, senior. Well,
pack up and in short time four OF us were on
the way 70 the yacht and two days later we sailed
from Ensenada TO Turtle Bay and did not stop
until finally got into the Gulf Of California.
Turtle Bay. as near as | can figure It, is about
eight hundred or one thousand miles south OF Los
Angeles. pretty little place with a settlement
Of Mexicans and half Indians that make their liv-
ing catching turtles with which the waters abound.
We found the story of Manuel true, there was
mocha grandc tortuga, the water was alive
with them. and the day after we reached there We
started out with a man Manuel recommended as
great harpooner and that he proved 10 be. He
was a tall slender fellow. half Indian, with eyes
and hair as black as ink The way he handled
the harpoon was caution. The harpoon was
twopronged affair with small barbs, so that they
did not hurt the turtle, that is, did not puncture
the carapace and merely held him. This
Il, ~, II zH has
pooner could send whirling through the air dead
the mark, As a iavelin thrower he would
have been dead shot
We rowed out into the beautiful bay, the Mex
lean in the bow. Manuel and friend at the oars
Manuel was vsibly excited and would stop and
look around, calculating Moocha grande! then
would row on, the Mexican directing him to the
largest turtle. Finally he one to suit him.
and the boat drew up on II he leaned back and
sent the quivering pole through the air 1t struck
fairly In the turtles back. The turtle rushed
ahead. followed by the kissing line which tn Q
man tossed overheard in coils Then it came
taut In second the boat rushing through
the water behind as lively steed | care to
follow had heard OF big turtles and their
strength, but wasn't prepared for such rush,
and / standing up in the boat to get a look
at the animal went down fiat as the boat ierked
ahead. Ever see a big turtle swim Well, it's
like bird with four wings Just pounding the
water with motion so quick you can't follow it.
II never went down more than twenty feet below
the surface. staying down about ten minutes
then rising and taking a breath to plunge down
again, all the time towing the boat like u horse
We went right out to sea beyond the bay and
passed dozen turtles on the way and after half
an hours excitement the Mexican began TO haul
in-no easy work: but we all took hold OF the line
ana soon had the boat alongside the animal, that
never let up Tapping its powerful fins. / should
not have thought il possible to get such a big
creature into the boat. but the men got on the rail
and took the flippers and made hall hitch around
them, and then with leap 10 the other side, fairly
erked it in where II beat its breast hard enough
% break it in On the way back ! took a turn a.
the third pinned in good shape, and can tell
you it was exciting except that got the line
This turtle towcd us up the bay and finally ran
aground. so we put the boat in and ran the turtle
up on the beach That night we had turtle STEAK.
turtle balls and turtle soup high living for men
Just out from dry placer mine We stayed
around there for month and had the INES! fish
| and came up the coast Some go 10 San Fran
| cisco. some 10 Los Angeles, where suppose you
will see them standing outside of restaurants with
the sign To be served thus day pinned onto them.
| and BY the way, what kind Of a man is II that
would treat so game an animal that way? don't
that turtle knows a thing or two, and IN blessed
| If / could treat one in such manner NJ the
Uprising, and many Of the Mcxicans have gone To
| the war Curious chaps they are: You hear a
| good ue Il about the McXicans and what they are
| going TO do, but it's all mamma. Their motto is
| always put of until to morrow what you can do
To day, il it's any carer, The people are about a
| century behind us in everything, and they will
never catch up.
| THAT turtle fishing is great sport" said lis.
| tener as the turtle hunter finished I've had
something like II on the reef in Florida pegging
| turtles they call II down there. and I've taken
plenty that way, but I" my mind the best sport is
| turning turtle. | was down On the reef some
| time ago, al Noy West. and IN trying 10 find a
| man 10 take me out after kinGfsh, struck an
| old fellow who told me he was gong down 10 East
Key after turtle, and that | could go along, and
| that he would guarantee me plenty Of kingfsh.
| So ! shipped on his little sloJp and had eight
| kinds Of spot and more too. We caught king
| fsh all the way down and at MarqueSas | took
them on my rod. Finally We rrac"GdE st Key
| an island Of white sand capped with bay cedar
about two miles long. II had been great place
for pirates in old days and the skipper told me
! that more than $50 600 in gold had been p,Cked
up on the very spot where we landed. \ big gal
. leon had gone ashore the reel The Deacf
was perhaps sixty feet wide and tine upper part Of
& above tide water was the home al the green anC
| l1ggerhcad turtle, where they LAID their eggs
| I'VE went ashore first IN the morning and as
| here WA nntlinp In do stnTtPf In