Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-07-27

l chung to 1t. Before my breath was gone
it rose to breathe again, then down 1t
plunged, going like the wind. The animal
made a desperate attempt to throw me off
and lowed me up and down several times,
and | was about exhausted when / acct
dentally discovered that by planting my
knees on the shell and presenting my body
as a breakwater l could force the turtle
up. Acting on this, l soon had 1t Subdued
Exciting Sport.
So exciting was this sport that 1t was
often INDUCED in, and in no instance did a
turtle ever make attempt to bite,
though it should be said that 1 invariably
dived and caught them asleep on the bot
tom, from behind; any other method would
have been impossible. After weeks of this
novel diversion l decided to try turtle
on the open reef, and with this object in
view had my boatman row me over to the
lagoon where green turtles fed and could
sometimes be seen asleep the white
sandy bottom in eight or ten feet of water
Slowly he sculled the dingy along until
just ahead the black form of turtle was
seen. Slowly and carefully We approached
until could see which way the head
was lying. Fortunately it was from me,
and slipping over l swan down to the bot
tom. then along until could reach out and
grasp the animal over the neck, and then
the unexpected happened.
This was wild and unframed creature;
never had the hand of man touched it, and
1t was like a bucking broncho. It nearly
turned over backward in the vigorous
spring for the surface which 1T made
Puff. puff" came from its nostriIs as my
arms were almost jerked out, and away It
dashed down, down. then along the bottom
rising, half turning with peculiar screw
like motion and showing little or no desire
to rise. L could at the time retain my
breath over minute, but it seemed an hour
before the turtle began to rise, the pace be-
ing 80 rapid that l had no opportunity to
raise my knees. Indeed, this wild turtle
was game Of another kind and was about
to cast off, when it rose and broke water
with fierce puff, and plunged down again.
In this breathing space l caught a glimpse
of the boat following and could see that
Paubio was waving his arms. but water, as
the turtle plunged down again, shut of the
view. Now tipping on one side, now on the
other. careening this way and that now
diving to the bottom, dashing upward to
SKIM along the surface in a mass of foam
TO sound again, l realized that the gamy
turtle was doing its best to unhorse me,
shake OF this old man Of the sea that had
50 firm hold. still have the temerity to
believe that IL the water had continued
shallow / could have taken my turtle hut
ul!ortunateiy Tor the success of this sport
water will deepen, and without warming INV
steed plunged over the side of one Of the
deep blue channels which without rhyma
or reason cut into the lagoon 1t was a
growing r.
ceptlbly colder. made one Intellectual effort
10 get my knees on the shell of the f1vinp
animal, and then cast off parted connanv
as near as could judge twenty feet from
Tue surface, rising to be picked I'D by my
demoralized boatman, who said nbe'a he
logged eff he didn't think l was crazy sho,
nun In confidence l cannot recommend
the sport, though my boatman remarked
that II could hold my breath twenty min
utes could catch my turtle. Riding green
turtles In wide and extended fncIos,7re 10
sport OF novel kind and dangerous.
Pexginx the Reptiles.
one OF the most interesting methods of
taxing large green turtle, which I learned
from Paublo. was pesging them. The neg
was small three-sided plug about half
an inch long, sharp as an arrow and made
to mt into pole and fastened to a line A
regular spear would have injured the tur-
tie. but the peg when skiIIfuIIy throu,n
merely penetrated the shell, holding nv
suction Armed with the long pole and
peg, l would stand in the bow Pauhi,
scuillng the boat over the big lagoon. which
abounded in tropical fishes of all kinds and
coIors. When a turtle was seen we cra-,t
up 10 ft, and as it rose to breathe whicn
1t invariably would do / tossed the neg
INTO Its broad back and the race would he
on, the powerful animal especiaItv ~
loggerhead, hauling the boat along as
though steamer was towing it. Over the
shadows and banks of coral, down into deem
Chalmers lt "Oulu plunge, only to be haul ed
IN by the line. lighting every foot and MAX
ing a gay and desperate resistance until
slid into the boat upon it back-a position
which constitutes the total discontinue
of the turtle tribe.
One day in hunting turtles in this way we
came upon one lying on the surface.
supposed that it was sleeping, as II did
not move, and l was about to throw the
peg when l saw that 1t was HELPLESS and
close examination showed that ii was fas
In the tentacles of a Portuguese man-of-
war. poisonous jelly-like animal common
on the reef. 1t was hawks bill turtle the
kind whose scales are made into combs
and various objects These turtles are
trimmer and handsomer then the others
The beak is like that of a hawks bill and
pointed: the scales are distinct and over
lap each other. In the lower part of the
the natives. The latter catch numbers Of
the fish remora which has sucking disc
upon it's head. place a collar about II.
connected by string, and when in the
vicinity Of turtle release the fish, which
instfnctively attaches itself to the turtle
which in this ingenious way is hauled in
4 have seen three or four remoraS at
tached to an old loggerhead, refusing to
leave it when the animal was hauled out
of water. The loggerhead is coarse ard
tough and of little or no value except for
the sport 1t affords to those who care to
follow 1t. The leather turtle, the rarest of
all, is in active demand, and good speci-
mems bring large sums, but it lives on the
deposit it's eggs, and then generally ON
some isolated island in the tropics far from
the haunts of man.