282 LEAVES FROM THE 



blee, il la prend par une partie et son compagnon sur I'autre et ils 

 la metteut dans le canot, et en vont clierchei* une autre. 



II n'est pas necessaire qu'il y ait des ardillons an far de la varre, 

 ni que le varreur fasse entrer le fer gueres plus avant que I'epais- 

 seur de I'ecaille, parce qu'aussitot que la tortue sent la douleur 

 que le cloud lui fait en pergant sou ecaille, elle se resserre de telle 

 fa^on qu'on a bien plus de peine a retirer le cloud qu'on en avoit 

 eu a le faire entrer. 



The great rapidity with which one of these reptiles 

 will run away Avith a boat ceases to be surprising when 

 it is remembered, that they are frequently found three 

 feet and a half or four feet long, and two feet or two feet 

 and a half wide, weighing three hundred pounds, and 

 often more. Labat, who makes this observation, remarks, 

 that it is astonishing that wherever they are set down on 

 land on their plastron, however distant they may be from 

 the sea, to the sea they go without seeking about, with- 

 out hesitation, and in the most direct line. The jolly 

 Jesuit relates, that he sometimes had the pleasure of 

 bestriding a turtle with another person, when it carried 

 them without difficulty, and sufficiently fast. 



Mais (he adds) c'est une voiture des plus rudes, car comme elle 

 ne peut se soutenir sur ses quatre pattes toute a la fois, elle eleve 

 le train de devant, et senible e'gratigner la terre en s'elan^ant, 

 pendant que les pieds de derriere poussent en avant eu faisant un 

 effort qui produit uu mouvement qui secoue et qui fatigue iufiui- 

 ment. 



He tells a story of an Indian, slave to M. de la Char- 

 donniere. The slave was alone in a small canoe fishing 

 with a line, when he saw a turtle asleep on the surface of 

 the sea. He quietly approached, and passed a noose of 

 a stout cord which he chanced to have with him round 

 one of the paddles of the turtle, the other end of the cord 

 being made fast to the bow of the canoe. The turtle 

 awoke, and set off with all speed, and at first the Indian 

 was under no apprehension at the rapidity with which he 

 was carried out to sea. Sitting in the stern of his canoe, 

 he steered with his paddle so as to avoid the waves, 



