A RACE WITH A WATERSPOUT. 99 



pulled the dinghy alongside, stepped quietly in, 

 and, taking the barbed grains from the pole, 

 fitted on what he called a turtle-peg a triangu- 

 lar peg about an inch and a half long and look- 

 ing, as Dick said, like the tip of a file cut oft*. 

 Fastening the line to the peg, Long John shoved 

 off, and slowly sculled toward the turtle. 



The latter was evidently asleep, as it allo\ved 

 the fisherman to pull within a few feet of it, 

 w r hen Long John dropped the oar, and, taking 

 up the pole, drove the peg into the shell. Up 

 popped the turtle's head ; a snort as of escaping 

 steam, and it dived, carrying the line over the 

 side with a whistling sound suggestive of speed 

 and power. 



The line was soon exhausted, and away flew 

 the dinghy, Long John slowly pulling in, finally 

 coming alongside, and securing the turtle by its 

 flippers. When the larger boat caught up, the 

 boys lent a hand, and the prize was soon hauled 

 aboard. They were all astonished at this primi- 

 tive method of taking a turtle ; but it was none 

 the less effective, and was the method in use on 

 the reef. The peg simply penetrated the shell 



