Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-07-27
ON A TURTLES BACK
Wild Dash Through the Water OFF a
Florida Reef.
an EXCITING FORM OF SPORT
Hunting the Reptiles on the
Beach by Moonlight.
HOW THEY ARE CAUGHT


Written for The Evening Star by Prof. Charles F.
Holder.
The solemn, dried-out signing creature
propped up against a restaurant in a north
ern city, with sign hung about it's neck
informing the public that 1t is to be ''sery-
ed this day gives little idea of the
powerful animal of graceful motion which
abounds along the shallow lagoons of the
outer Florida reef plunges deep into the
blue artery-like channels or flies along the
smooth surface of the gulf stream with all
the abandon Of perfect liberty. On land the
great sea turtles loggerhead, green and
leather are clumsy and to some extent
helpless. but once clear of the beach and
off bottom they become types of activity,
the powerful screw-Iike movements of the
fore fiippers sending them along like the
clouds which are forerunners of the squalls
and hurricanes which devastate the trop-
ical reefs.
During a long residence on the extreme
outer Florida reef, on a key of but thir-
teen acres which was formerly possess
sion of the turtles, wrestsd from them by
the government, l had many opportunities
to observe the great game that Is so Ia
miliar to the general public as mock
turtle soup. Turtle was game here in
every sense. There was the sport OF TAX
ing it and the satisfaction of eating 1t
served In divers ways by old Paublo, the
pee, the green meat. dried. yellow eggs,
turtle balls, turtle stew. turtle steak ana
turtle soup 1t was astonishing how many
dishes one turtle could furnish.
Hunting Turtles.
Turtle hunting was the principal sport OF
the reef and to be had in some form at all
times. During the winter We pegged the
animals on the outer reef In early spring
we turned them on the keys by moonlight
keys in silver settings floating on seas of
azure. In the group were eight or nine
keys from an acre or more in extent to
mile in length, nearly all affording equal
facilities for the sport: but the turtles, for
reasons best known to themselves. affected
but two regularly and the rest rarely. Bright
moonlight nights found the lovers of the
sport on Logserhead key. the extreme west
ward of the group. Four or five white hunt
ers and eight or ten boys" as the negroes
were called usually made up the party, and
by the time the moon had risen they would
be distributed around the beach in parties
of three. 800 or 100 feet apart, lying in the
depressions of the sand. baSking in the
moonlight that made the night like day.
Not word would be spoken. as the game
shy and easily alarmed, and every now
and then one of each party would crawl
down over the sand to the waters edge
and run along 10 see If a turtle had APP
peared in the intervening space; in this way
the ShOfe line was covered.
One night L lay watching the water
sparkling here and there with the blaze of
phosphorescence, / suddenly saw a round
head, surrounded by ring of golden light.
rise ten feet off shore. Then ''See-e-see,
broke upon the air like the escape of steam.
Paubio dropped his head and almost stop
Led breathing. and for a few seconds we
remained quiet, then ventured to look
over the sandy breastwork to see the
moonbeams gliStening on the back of
huge turtle. When it reached the shore the
animal stopped to listen then moved slowly
up the beach about fifty feet to the right of
US: and when on the sand above high-water
mark IL began to dig. In fifteen minutes or
so the nest had been exeavated. and crawl
Ing carefully. we approached to within
twenty feet. then dashed down upon the
game. 1t was my first turtle and / was ex-
cited. The turtle wheeled with marvellous
speed and began to slide down the beach,
carrying me also. as had ieaped upon Its
back. Then Paublo and / both grasped II
upon the same side and lifted AS the fin
pers cleared the ground / received the fun
force of one, which hurled me against the
boy. and down We went in cloud of sand
Turned on Their Backs.
The turtle was loggerhead, and must
have weighed 700 or 800 pounds. and to lift
it was almost impossible, with its huge
ffippers flying: SO Paublo seized one hind
ripper, Sandy another. while I endeavored
to stop II In front WITH an oar. But the
animal dragged the boys. then threw them
on, and finally in desperation we all laid
hold, and, ducking the blows, succeeded In
lifting II on edge, topping it over upon its
back just as 1t reached the waters edge
The ftppers We're tied together and
the animal being hauled high and dry. the
watching continued. The next turtle
proved to be an active green turtle. | ran
across Ii not twenty feet from the water
finding its tracks and following them up:
but despite my exertions Ii turned and
reached the water and dragged me In be-
fore assistance came. / held on until the
animal plunged over the rim of the beach
into deep water then swan in to renew the
sport. which was carried on until 3 o'clock,
when we had eight or nine turtles cap
tured with various exciting accompa nj
ments. These were loaded on fat scows
and hauled to a neighboring island where
they We're released in turtle crawl in
which the animals had about eight or ten
Feet or water and abundant swimming
room
There was a legend on the reef of a
Conch who had caught turtle single
handed, In the outer lagoon, and 1 deter
mined to attempt Ii. 1t occurred to me
that these incfosed turtles would provide
excellent practice. The crawl was sixty
Iset VIDE. nearly half mile long. and
on the bottom. So one day 1 Slipped into
tie water and swan out, diving when near
turtle Approaching from behind. /
seized IL with both hands just over the
mead by the shell. With a bound the ami
NAL surged upward It's fippers striking
the bottom with terrific force, sending a
. cloud OF sand in every direction Reaching
! the surface, the terrified reptile breathed
then plunged and dragged me under water
q pace that could have but one ending
II reached bottom. skinned along. turned
on It's side glanced this way and that in as