The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1905-05-17

wound round his waist, and began TO
knot it about one of the big. musliy
hind fiippers. The loggerhead's baggy
throat pulsed It's round hard eyes
cleaned with an indignation it could
not express vocally. for the great tur-
ties are mute 1t spun suddenly on its
broad breastplate, almost knocking
Bud OFF his feet. and with powerful
forward hunch started for the sea.
Bud dropped sitting upon the beach,
his heels iammed into the sand and
both hands clutching the rawhide, one
end of which was still tied about his
body. His weight crippled the fllpper
to which he was fast, but the logger.
head seemed quite satisfied with what
remained. Without any apparent in
crease of effort she dragged the boy
steadily down the slope
"John, o John" bawled Bud.
"Come quick, I've got onew
"Pshaw" he muttered, letting 20
with one hand and cropping in his pocb-
ct. John can't hear anything but
what Grace Allne said 20 him last
night l reckon"
He took out his knife and opened It.
The turtle was already at the lip of
the sea. but Bud hated to cur. Econ
omy is inborn among the inhabitants
of the bar, and it hurt him to lose so
much good neat. 1t was not yet too
late for John to be of service if he
should arrive upon the scene.
No John came, however and the log
gerhead plunged into the water with
a joyous splashing Bud drew the
knife quickly across the line. The next
instant he dropped it with cry of pain
as the brine struck bitterly into a cash
in his finger Clutching and tearing
uselessly at the sand, he was jerked
into the water, down, down. down,
crisp singing in his ears and cold fin
gers prying at his lips. By one of
fate'S malicious pranks 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 a great
apron OF submerged land fully a mile
wide. The loggerhead had hardly be-
gun its dive when it reached bottom.
It's flippers struck Violently, and sent
up a boiling cloud of sand. Confused
and wlnded by the violence of its
fright it turned and slanted upward
to the surface, where it lay putting
like a naphtha launch, its limp flippers
swinging with the sway of the water.
\ few seconds later Buds streaming
yellow head bobbed up close behind it.
The boy had the line tightly clutched
in his hands, and hardly waiting TO
take the necessary breath, he pulled
himself forward with a strong quick
pull. The fore part of the loggerhead
sank instantly. but before she had
gathered her trailing fippers under
her, Bud was on her back, all ten fin
gers hooked about the thick front edge
Of the shell.
! The loggerhead, for obvious reasons,
has no enemy but man, and this partlc-
ular loggerhead had led a long and
pottering existence Of unbroken peace.
To say that it was frightened would
do scant justice 10 its state of mind.
Down it went with a rush that tore
white streaks through the water, but
/ this time it did not strike the 1and.
/ 1t turned as it neared the bottom and
/ skinned along Just above it. Its pow
| erful hippers working with a propeller
like motion, drove it along like the
wind.
As it went it turned on It's side. glanc-
Ing this way and that like a scaling
stone but Bud clung to the broad cara
. pace with the tenacity Of n blrnacle.
lie knew that If he were traucd again
az the end of the rawhide, he would
soon drown. Three generations of
gaunt REFERS had left him "a legacy
Of pluck and coolness that made man
Of him, and a strong one, in times of
danger, Young as he was, Bud had
been in peril before, but never had
thinks looked so bad. Something cold
and tense seemed TO knot within his
head. He must, If it We're possible
draw up his knees TO the centre Of the
she'll and fashion his body into a sort OF
drag or breakwater. 1t was a trick
which some Of the "reefers" declared
would invariably force a turtle to come
to the surface.
1t had sounded easy; but In the pens
if one failed, one had only to let %
and come up with no worse penalty
than a derisiye laugh from ones com
panions. 1t is different when one trie
it out at sea, when life itself may b
J the price OF a slip.
Something, however, must be done
, Although in reality Bud had beel
: below the surface but few seconds
the force with which he was swep
; through the water and the efforts o
| the loggerhead 10 unseat him made 1
! extremely difficult to hold his breath
] A pair Of iron hands seemed to pres
with terrible force against his lowe
2 ribs His lungs shook like foul an,
{ shodden sponges within him. His legs
J always hitching forward, were straight
e ened again and again by the pressur
: Of the water.
D But Bud was as much at home In tn
\ sea as a South Sea Islander, and q
5 last, favored by a momentary slacl
ening Of the loggerhead's speed. hi
J. knee caught under him, and Ii
4 Strengthened his body as much as th
9 length Of his arms permitted.
S Either the trick succeeded or tn
J. turtle was almost winded, for almCs
I Immediately It began a slowing an