The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1904-10-09
THIS BOY HAD A
j TURTLE TO TOW HIM
Playshing Of . Lad Who Lived BY
the Sea, and Whole Father
Was q Fisherman.

ana wagons hauled by dogs, Dut ola any ot
you ever hear Of a boy being pulled around
by q big turtle'
-No' guess not; but did once; In fact
knew the boy. and the turtle used 10 pull
him around all right, only instead OF pulling
him In wagon 1t used 10 pull him around
In O boat.
.This boys home was on the shores OF
bay. His father was q fisherman, who
owned boats and nets and hired hAhermen
and made business Of fishing, and 90 the
boy was brought up, as you might cay,
on the water. He had lived and played
about II all his life, and whom be bad got
to be about II years old his father had made
for him and gave to him boat for his own. q
1t was nice little, light skiR, about II
feet long and not drawing much water, .
boat that boy Of his age who was strong
and hardy. as be was, could pull very han
Oily; and he used to have great fun IN u.
THE fishermen used to set their nets et
different times Of year for different dsh.
You know, some fish come on the coast
at one season and some at another; but stu
at all times they'd catch some variety Of
fish, and sometimes they'd catch dsh
that they didn't want at all. like sharks.
Big sharks would follow the fishes into
the nets. to get some to eat, and get caught
themselves. And then they'd make lot
Of trou BILE for the fshermen. They'd tear
the nets all to pieces trying to get out. end
90 let all the fshes out; and so the haher.
men would Lose al the fshes they'd osueht
and have to 90 to the expense Of fixing
up their nets besides. Tho fishermen
never Ike to catch sharks.
And then sometimes they used TO ct
turtles In their nets, various kinds Of -
turtles. moulding loggerheads The log
gsrhesd turtles, you know: grow e g g
much a. thousand pounds, tremendous
big turtles, and then they come smaller;
but the ioggerhead II big turtle anyway.
and they used to get some pretty hag ens
And one dsy whn they'd got one ttat
the boys father thou Eht would do he esvs
1t TO him for horse-s kind OF seshorss.
This loggeahead had ahen about two
iset or two TT and e. h "a lsns; e, Ss %
beyond this. 10 that altogether y ~. shept
Where between $50 sad zoo pounds: % you
see 1t was about as big as Q marble topped
table and Il Weighed about .. much g e 2
tow tina. boas easily.
The boys father rigged Y up for htIn
an right. He bored . small hole through
tho back end Of the turtles upper eheu
whsrs \ w. the bet place for "a sna rn
this hole he drew one end Of . email stout
line, and when he'd get It through hs made
q knot on that end 80 the line wouldn't
draw out again through the hole when the
the tuTtic back into the wafsr and gave
the free end Of the line, the retns, - you
might call It, to the boy In lbs boat And
then be ssys 70 The boy:
and sS:n df e !s 1t n. Il H. r :s
swh:. b nssns y -e9 r. ssunS..
was, when tho turtle sounded tho dspths
Of the wster; whsn ~ went dgwn q ~
was IN some places ae much a. twen1y-
eight fest desp, snd II ths boy had bad only
. short lne On The turtle and The turtle bad
sounded in deep water and ths boy bad hung
Sa 70 upset TIE boat and thrown tie 81
into TIE water. But tie father knev the
boy and had confidence IA him and knew
be would understand, and % he told bun:
Don't LET him toy yon out to - and wbsn
tie turtle looss, and ths boy pys lin
. little slsnk et hrst 70 - mot 10 bring hlm
up too suddenly, and thsn b hsld % esntly
but firmly and thon Of they stared With
the boy Ittins in the boat and Tho turtle
and then the turtle took thu boy IN
around the bay, trying, Of cour1e, TO ct
away. That string didn't hunt y, but the
turtle didn't Just Ike It. But y couldn't
towed the boat after It, with the boy IN ths
Sometimes the turtle would sound,
and then the boy would, pay out hne.
And after the turtle bad ct down g
Tor q while, and then vhen he wanted him
TO draw the boat again be would pull %
the line little, softly, and the turtle would
come UP and start going again, drawing
.ons time the turtle got going a. 4 he
was going out Of the bay, and then the boy
rot all ready to cut the line, but tbs turtle
got tired after Q while and stopped 70 rsst,
floating on the top Of the watef. And thsn
nessS s Sp sSd e ss mn hi ~
the line was made fast to him and cot bold
Of the turtle and turned him around IN th4
water and headed him inahore and startsd
him UP again.
boy turned the turtle around Ike that
when he was going In some direction he
didn't want him to. but he was always
very careful not to get near the turtles
head. for the turtle can dart its head out
to q considerable distance ahead and on
either side.
Turtles have very sharp and powerful
jaws and great big ioggerhead could blts
. mans hand OF. and Q turtle the size he
boy had could have bitten Oh his 6npf,
and I don't know but Whist Il could m
hand. II you ever have Q turtle, - tAts
hoy did. TO tow your boat. you wasn't TO
keep away from tt head, a tn tact yeu
do from IN turtles heads.
well, this boy didn't have any pen 20
keep the turtle tn and don't know - he'd
have wanted to keep him anyway, 'cause
his father was liable to catch him another
one any time. So after he'd been lowed
around all he wanted TO that day, be
pulled up near the turtle and cut the line
close to HE she'll and let him 60. That little
end Of the line that was left In the hole N
the shell would soon work out and leave
the turtle entirely free.
'And. sure enough, that same season he
boys father caught another loggUhead
that was about the right size for sesborss
to tow the boys boat. and he rugged 1t up
In Just the came way, and once more the
boy was towed all around the bay, shting
In his boat with turtle pulling him.
Nov, Them said Uncle Hiram. glano-
ing benevolently around upon the oircie.
.there was something different. You've
an seen plenty Of goat and dog wagons, but
how many Of you ever saw boy riding In