1002 20. DERMOCHELIDZ 
had also prepared a number of other ropes with nooses on 
them to be ready for quick work. 
“On approaching the turtle it did not hear the wash of 
the boat until we were within about 25 feet of it, when it 
made a rush to windward and started to dive, but the momen- 
tum of the boat when I luffed into the wind carried her right 
along side of him and I dropped the tiller and got forward 
with the gaff-hook and swung over the side in the weather 
rigging and got the hook fast in the leathery part of his 
neck. He immediately sounded and run out the full length 
of the line—about 200 feet—and towed the boat about half 
a mile further out to sea. He then came to the surface and 
we overhanded the line and pulled up close to him again. 
When he caught sight of the boat he turned and came toward 
us and threw one of his flippers over the gunwale of the boat, 
nearly capsizing her. I climbed up on the upper side and 
shoved him off with an oar. He grabbed the end of the 
oar and bit the end of it off like a piece of cheese. His 
movements in the water were very swift; using his fore 
flipper he could turn almost instantly from one side to the 
other and his head would project about 18 inches from the 
body. I succeeded in throwing a noose over his head and 
later by attracting his attention in the opposite direction got 
ropes around both flippers—finally having five lines on him 
—and started to tow him toward the shore. He repeatedly 
slipped the ropes off from his neck and flippers—several 
times getting almost entirely free. We were from 11:30 
A. M. till nearly 4 P. M. in finally landing him. When 
about half way to shore he suddenly turned and made a 
break out to sea, towing the boat stern first with all sail 
drawing full for several hundred yards with little effort. 
He emitted at intervals a noise resembling the grunt of a 
wild boar. There were (when we first tackled him) about 
a dozen ramoras attached to different parts of the body. 
