The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-07-28

was we'll exhausted when I accidentally
discovered that by planting my knees on
the she'll and presenting my body as a
breakwater, 1 could force the turtle up
Acting on this, L soon subdued it. So
exciting was this sport that it was often
INDUCED in, and in no instance did a
turtle make an attempt to bite. though
1t should be said that l invariably Owed
and caught them asleep on the bottom
from behind. Any other method would
have been impossible
After weeks of this exciting diversion I
decided to try a turtle on the open reef
and with this object in view 1 had my
hcatman row me over to the lagoon,
where green turtles fed and could some
times be seen asleep on the white sandy
bottom in eight CT ten feet of wa er. Slow
~ he sculled the dinghy along, until Just
ahead the black form of a turtle was
secn. Slowly and carefully we approach
ed, until | could plainly see which way
the head was lying. Fortunately it was
from me, and, slipping over. I swan
down to the bottom, then along until
could reach out and grasp the turtle over
the neck
Then the unexpected happened. This
was wild and untamed creature. Never
had the hand of man touched it, and 1t
was like a bucking broncho. 1t nearly
turned over backwards in the vigorous
spring 1T made for the surface. Puff.
puff" came from it's nostrils, as my arms
were almost jerked out, and away it DASH
ed, down, down, then along the bottom.
half turning with a peculiar screw-like
motion, and exhibiting little or no desire
to rise. 1 could at the time retain my
breath over minute, but it seemed an
hour before the turtle began to rise, the
pace then being so rapid that 1 had no
opportunity to raise my knees. Indeed.
this wild turtle was game of another
kind, and 1 was about to cast off when
it rose and broke water with a fierce
puff" and plunged down again.
In this brea thing space l caught
glimpse of my boat following, and could
see Paublo waving his arms, then water,
as the turtle plunged down, shut off the
view. Now tipping on one side, now on
the other careening this way and that,
now diving to the bottom, dashing up
ward to skim along the surface in
mass of foam, to sound again, L realized
that the gamy turtle was doing its best
TO unhorse me, to shake off this old man
of the sea that had so firm hold. [
still have the temerity to believe that
ii the water had continued shallow [
could have taken my turtle, but unfOr-
tunately for the success of the sport,
water will deepen, and without warning
my steed plunged over the side of one
of the blue channels which without
rhyme or reason cut into the lagoon. 1t
was a short heat. felt the water
growing perceptibly colder made one in
effectual effort to get my knee on the
shell Of the flying animal, and then cast
off, parted company as nearly as l could
judge twenty feet from the surface, riS-
ing to be picked up by my demoralized
boatman, who said that he'd be logged
eff he didn't think / was crazy, sho'
'nuff" In confidence | cannot recon-
mend the sport, though my boatman re-
marked that il was possible for me to
catch my turtle if / could hold my breath
twenty minutes. Riding green turtles in
a wide and extended enclosure is sport of
a novel kind, and not dangerous.
One of the most interesting methods Of
taking the large green turtles which |
learned from Paublo, was by pegging
them. The peg was a small three-sided
plug, about half an inch long, sharp as
an arrow, and made to fit into pole. and
fastened to a line. A regular spear
would have injured the turtle, but the
peg, when skilfully thrown, merely pene-
trated the shell. holding by suction. Arm
ed with the long pole and peg, l would
stand in the bow, PaubiO scullng the boat
over the big lagoon. which abounded in
tropical fishes of all kinds and cOlOrS.
When a turtle was seen we crept upon
it, and as it rose to breathe. which it
invariably would do, / tossed the peg into
its broad back, and the race was on, the
powerful animal. especially IL a logger
head, hauling the boat along as though
n steamer was towing it. Over the shall
lows, banks of coral. down into deep
channels it would plunge, only to be
slowly hauled in by the line, fighting
every effort and making a gamy and des-
perate resistance, until sid into the boat
upon it's back. a position which constI-
tutes the total discontinue of the turtle
tribe.
One day, when hunting turtles in this
way, we came upon one lying on the sur
face. I supposed that the animal was
sleeping, as it did not move, and was about
to throw the peg, when / discovered that
it was helpless. Close inspection found
that it was fast in the tentacles of
Portuguese nan-of-war, a poisonous, jel-
ly~like animal, common on the reef. It
was hawks bill. the kind whose scales
are made into combs, and various objects
These turtles are trimmer handSomer
than the others, and the bea< is like that
of a hawk, sharp and pointed; the Scales
are distinct and overlap each other In
the lower part of the gulf they are taken
in singular manner by the natives. The
latter catch numbers of the fish remOra
which bears a sucking disc upon it's head
place a collar about it. connected by a
string, and when in the vicinity of a
attached itself to the turtle, which in this
ingenious way is hauled in. 7 have seen
three or four renOras attached to an old
lOggerhead, refusing to leave it even
when the animal was hauled out of
water The loggerhead is coarse and
tough and Of little value except for the
sport which 1t affords to those who care
to follow it. The leather turtle, the rar-
est of all, is in active demand and good
specimens bring large sums; but 1t lives
In the open sea. rarely coming in shore,
except to deposit it's eggs. and then gen.
orally on some isolated island far from
the haunts of man.