Big Game at Sea 



I was about to release my hold when it occurred to 

 me to try and stop the animal. Acting on the idea, 

 I drew up my knees and secured a position, which 

 if the turtle had been on land would have been a 

 kneeling one. This brought my body directly against 

 the rushing water. The effect upon the turtle was 

 instantaneous ; my changed position deflected its head 

 upward, and out of the water we came, I gasping for 

 wind, the turtle uttering a loud snort. As it plunged 

 down again, I heard the shouts of the men on the 

 wall, caught a " bravo ! " from some one, and real- 

 ized that I had accidentally solved the secret of turtle 

 riding. So no sooner did the animal dive and carry 

 me to the bottom, then I immediately brought it up 

 by kneeling on its shell. But the turtle did not sur- 

 render at once. It swam on the surface when it 

 could not dive, plunged downward, and turned on 

 its side, endeavoring to wash me off ; but by continu- 

 ally using my body as a brake, I succeeded, after a 

 run of perhaps five hundred feet, in reducing my fiery 

 steed to terms. I turned it in the direction of shal- 

 low water, and finally gaining my feet, held it. The 

 big animal had lost literally its wind. 



After some weeks of this sport I assumed that I 

 was an expert in riding turtles, and was more than 

 confident that I could take one on the outer reef. So 

 one day Long John and I pushed off and sculled over 

 to the lagoon, looking for a victim. The lagoon 

 was cut in its very center by a deep channel, as blue 



