The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1908-03-29

the end OF a stick and marched away from
the rock. The wolves showed plain enough
that they thought they were now going to
have an easy and a sure thi ng, and ons
big fellow sprang at me,
Il showed the Logging soaked with I'M
monia under his nose, He gave one gasp
and tumbled 10 the ground. Before he
could wigRle up again ! had my heel on his
neck and scrunohed his ugly life out.
Another wolf jumped to grab me. Under
his nose went the ammonia. Down hs
went. Quick as q wink | had nv heel on
his neck and scHunohed him into a deal
wolf. And that Is the way II went.
Wolf after wolf sprang for my throat
only TO get tho dose and the scnunch, until
| had walked out Of that swamp pm the car
cases Of twenty-five Of the savagest wolves
that ever wayIaid a traveller, and then | sat
down and tried 10 think. How did I CONS
by that bottle OF ammonia and what hAi
! started out TO do with Il?
Il couldn't think. The long scramble
with those wolves had somehow driven u
all out Of my mind and II has never come
back again. ! would give q great deal 10
know what my errand could have been.
IAN Of those who saw me fetchthe monster
turtle into Wurtsboro that time back in -
are dead now, and it's o bad, for II woult
do anybody good to bear Doc Hallock or
Sam Gumasr or George 0lcott or Abe Brown
son or even Fiddler John Hallock tell about
the way | did It.
Il had taken Doc and Abe and Fiddlrr
John up TO Yankee Pond for a days fishing.
but they didn't have any luck. As w were
driving back 10 W%urtsboro cav something
10 the road on ahead a piece, and we al
thought il was a big rock that had rolled
FROM the mountain and lodged there.
Before We got to II saw II begin to move,
and then / discovered that Il was a turtle.
don't know where It came from and never
found out, but there i was.
"'What in Sam Hill will we do now
said Doc Hallook We haven't got room
10 drive around It and we can't drive over
il without upsettlng the wagon, and the
tremendous critter Is bound TO keep tho
road What will we do
Il told him | would see about that, and
took the BIT on Of one OF the horses. fastened
a halter strap TO 1t, and going up to the
turtle ! danRled the bit 10 front OF his big
jaws. He made one snap At II and bad 4,
and | knew he wouldn't let loose.
sThen [ straddled the turtle like ypu
would the hump Of a camel and started
him toward Wurtsboro. Sam Gumaer and
George Olcott were standing out 10 front
Of Sans tavern when the turtle and how
in sight, and they told me afterward thai
they thought it was the Monticello stag
coming in.
Il steered the turtle up the tavern and
stopped. AZ we waited for Doc HAlloos
and the rest TO come ] got a pry and with tbs
help Of q couple Of men turned the turtle
over on his back 90 he wouldn't take IL into
his head 10 move around and scare things,
and then I saw on his bottom Ahel the
letteB B. c. and the figures l74o, and We
couldn't help but believe that here was
certainly the oldest turtle on earth, dating
from B.. c. i740, although Squire Morrison
stuck 10 IL that a Ben Coykendoll lived back
on the barrens along about l74O who was a
greet fisherman and hunter, meaning by
that that Ben Coykendol had cut his initials
on tho turtle and the date, which was a
likely story, for had roamed and rammagcd
over every inch OF those barTens all my life
and never knew Ben Coykendou or heard
Of his turtle.
Il guess maybe there are people living
yet who remember the little dry pond hole
back Of Wurteboro and who have maybe
heard Of what folks called a cloudburs5
that washed things at the old lead nina
on the mountain lear there. Well. when
! brought that turtle into Wl1rtsboro that
time the pond hole wasn't dry.
1T vas q nics little sheet Of water, b6-
longing TO Sam Gumaer, he was bound
10 have that creation old turtle, and he
said he would give me $40 for IL II | would
put 1t into the pond. Ten dollars was a
good deal OF money just then and took
the offer,
"Ihad quite a job TO ride the tremendous
turtle TO the pond, for we bad 10 cross n
bridge and he was afraid 10 get on il, Just
like you have seen circus elephants get
shy Of bridges. After he had tried it step
by step, though, | got him across, aud
when he saw the pond he went straight
for il,
He wouldn't give UP the bit, though.
and | cut the halter strap and let him keep
the bit. He doused into the water AMI
went out Of sight, and I thought 10 myself
then that the pond was a mighty small ore
for such a big critter as he was.
Two or three days after that I wal in
Wurtsboro again and people were puzzled
TO know how Sam Gum aer's pond had
sprung the leak that bad let all the water
out Of il, for they couldn't find any place
where there was a break and the big turtle
was gone. ! couldn't figure out how the
water had got out OF the pond, but I
thought IL wouldn't be any trouble 10 get
on the trail OF the turtle and capture him.
AN the same | couldn't find any traos
Of the old chap, and while | was wondering
what could have become Of him word came
in that following a blast In the old lead
mine there had been a queer cloudburst
that had washed things and almost flooded
the mine. Nobody was hurt. though, and
they pumped the mine out in a day or go,
and work went on az usual.
i guess IL was Two years after that whe
! was prospecting for silver ore over back
Of Wurtsboro and was tramping along near
the lead mine one day that | picked I'D a
funny looking object. II proved TO be a
piece Of shell and near it I picked up an
other piece with the figures i74O on il.
While ! was bordering on this / saw
another queer looking thing. / picked il
up. II was part Of something g under jaw,
and lying in il was q bride bit. Then
everything came 10 me like a flash.
These were remains OF the turtle I rods
into Wurtsboro and put into Sam Gumaer's
pond two years before. What were they
doing there, scattered about the mouth N
the old lead mine? Plain TO me as day
So was the leak in the pond and the cloud
burst in the mine.
THE turtle had drank all the water in the
pond and walked away, leaving the pond
dry. He had beer, moving along by the
mine when the big blast went oil. ltoausht
him amidships, blew him TO pieces and
emptied all the water Of that pond out of
him down into the mine. And all the folks
that knew about that turtle are dead now
but me-
According 10 the record, which Ii an auto
biographical sketch published six years
ago, DR.. James Nicholas Veun will be i0l
next April. At the time the sketch ap.
peared he had been a widower twelve times
and he now has IL put on the record that be
has buried two wives since then.
Il an thinking some Of getting ready for
maybe being q widower again, he s,ys, "for
there o fine young Ia iy who is wiling; but
then again seems 10 me fourteen graves N
keep green Is maybe lob enough for a man
Of my years, Some folks says that | must
have been born a good while before 1901,
my memory Is such, but facts are facts
and inI unnrc u Lana nnn.nnh A. l. -