Diving for Turtles 



as sapphire a veritable gem of the sea, which wound 

 in and out in a mysterious fashion; its sides so steep 

 and precipitous that, standing on the edge in six or 

 eight feet of water, one could look directly down 

 into the blue depths. We crossed this and presently 

 sighted a turtle, perhaps one hundred feet from the 

 edge. I immediately slipped overboard, and Long 

 John, locating the position of the animal, carefully 

 approached it from behind. It was fast asleep, and 

 when within reaching distance I dived, while Long 

 John backed away. I drew near with great caution, 

 swimming low and deep, then, when directly over it, 

 I seized it, pressing my knees upon the shell. The 

 same convulsive rush to the surface followed, as on 

 previous occasions, but this steed had never been 

 turned, had never felt a grasp upon its shell, and the 

 force of its plunge and rush was sufficient to loosen 

 my hold. By good luck, more than anything else, 

 however, I succeeded in retaining my grasp, though 

 it was impossible to keep my knees on the shell, and 

 the turtle towed me along, stretched at full length, 

 at racehorse speed. It would dash to the surface, 

 bringing its own and my head out of water, plunge 

 down again, then, as though exhausted, sweep up, 

 turning and tipping in a vain effort to rid itself of 

 its unknown and mysterious enemy. 



The turtle had carried me down four or five times 

 in its wild rush, and towed me some distance from 

 the boat, in shallow water, when I heard Long John 



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