20. DERMOCHELIDJE 



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 luflFed 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 j using his fore 

 flipper he could turn almost instantly from one side to the 

 other and his head would project about 1 8 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 1 1 :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. 



