Chap. IV. 



NETTING TURTLES. 



261 



animal descends with it towards the bottom, leaving the 



shaft floating on the surface. This being 



done the sportsman paddles in his mon- 



taria to the place, and gently draws the 



animal by the twine, humouring it by 



giving it the rein when it plunges, until 



it is brought again near the surface, when 



he strikes it with a second arrow. With 



the increased hold given by the two cords 



he has then no difficulty in landing his 



game. 



By mid-day the men had shot about a 

 score of nearly full-grown turtles. Car- 

 dozo then gave orders to spread the net. 

 The spongy, swampy nature of the banks 

 made it impossible to work the net so as 

 to draw the booty ashore ; another method 

 was therefore adopted. The net was taken 

 by two Indians and extended in a curve 

 at one extremity of the oval-shaped pool, 

 holding it when they had done so by the 

 perpendicular rods fixed at each end ; its 

 breadth was about equal to the depth of 

 the water, its shotted side therefore rested 

 on the bottom, whilst the floats buoyed it 

 up on the surface, so that the whole, when 

 the ends were brought together, would 

 form a complete trap. The rest of the 

 party then spread themselves around the 

 swamp at the opposite end of the pool 

 and began to beat, with stout poles, the thick tufts 





Arrow used in 

 turtle shooting. 



