The Mathews journal. (Mathews C.H. [Court House]) 1903-1937, 1905-05-18


n Tying at his lips. BY one of
rates malicious FRANKS the knife had
somehow turned in his hand, and when
he struck, it was the back of the blade
that met the line.
AT this part Of the coast the sea
lies warm and shoal above n greot
apron of submerged land fully q mile
Wlde. The loggerhead had hardly be-
gun It's dive when ii reached bottom.
| us hlppers struck violently, and sent
up boiling cloud of sand. Confused
ana winded- by the violence of its
right ii turned and slanted inward
10 the surface, where il Law nuf,ing
ike naphtha launch, it's limp flippers
swinging with the sway of the water.
a few seconds later Buds streaming
yellow head bobbed up close behind If.
Inc boy had the line tightly clutched
III his hands, and hardly waiting ia
take the necessary breath, he pulled
nlmself forward with strong ouicl,
pun. The fore part of the loggerhead
sank instantly, but before she had
Sathered her trailing flippers under
her, BUD was on her back, all fen fin.
gers hooked about the thick front edge
OF the shell.
The loggerhead, for obvious reasons
mas no enemy but man, and this partic-
uiar IoSgerhe9d had led long and
Potterlng existence, of unbroken peace
10 say that it was frightened would
do scant Justice to its state of mind.
Down 1T went with a rush that tore
white streaks through the wafer. but
thlS time it did not strike the SAND
II turned as it neared the bottom and
SKINNED along just above it. It's DOW
erlui nlppers, working with q propeller
IKE motion, drove it along like The
wind. 'H'
As 1t went it turned on its side. cIanc-
ing this way and that like n SCALING
stone; but Bud chung TO the broad cara.
pace with the tenacity Of a barn2cIe
lie Knew that if he were trailed AGAIN
at the end of the rawhide. no wo7ld
soon drown. Three generations of
Sduht REFERS had left him legacy
Oh pluck ana GOODNESS that made n man
OIL MN, and strong one. in times of
uahSer. Young as he was, Bud had
Deen in peril before, but never had
thinks looked so bad. Sometime cold
ana tense seemed to knot within his
lieau. he must, if it were possible.
draw up his knees to the centre of the
smell and fashion his body into a sort of
drag or breakwater. 1t was n trick
which some of the 'reefers" declared
"oald invariably force a turtle to come
to the surface.
IL had sounded easy; but in the pens.
il one failed, one had only TO let GO
ana come up with no worse penoItv
than 4 derisive laugh from ones com
pahiohs' 1t is different when one tries
II out at sea, when life itself may be
the price of a slip.
something, however must be done
Ai1hough in reality Bud had been
neloW the surface but n few seconds |
lHe Iorce with which he was swent |
through the water and The efforts of |
'he ioSSernead to unseat him made II
eAlrehlely difficult to hold his breath
n pair OF iron hands seemed 10 n,.oss
with terrible force against his Io,ror
'iDS, MS lungs shook like foul and
Shouden sponges within him. His legs
always hitching forward, were straight,
ened again and again by the pressure
Of the water.
Dut bud was as much at home in tlfc
sea- as South Sea Islander, and al
asst favored by a monetary go
shihS OF the loggerhead's speed
knee caught under him, and
''ralshtened his body as much a
ength lof his arms permitted.
lii
turtle was almost wind3e< p