Ii6 The Turtle 



lasted all night, though to the human eye they were just 

 a pair of sluggish Turtle lying side by side in profoundest 

 silence, and without a movement, save that imparted 

 to them by the tiny wavelets of that quiet sea. As the 

 dawn broke she turned her head westward as if by some 

 irresistible impulse, her four broad flippers swayed with 

 a rhythmical motion, and she darted forward, trans- 

 formed instantly from an image of slothful ease into an 

 embodiment of superabundant energy, cleaving the 

 blue waves at the rate of about eighteen miles an hour. 

 No one who has not seen the Turtle in a hurry can 

 possibly understand how so apparently clumsy a 

 creature can cleave the waves at such a rate. It is a 

 revelation of the methods of Mother Nature. 



But she is gone, and Mr. Spharga remains basking 

 alone. We can only guess at his feelings at being thus 

 deserted, knowing nothing of the imperative maternal 

 claims swaying the movements of his spouse. Hour 

 after hour passes, and still he lies motionless, his 

 back just awash, and his head sunk beneath the sur- 

 face, his eyes closed, and his four broad paddles 

 hanging down motionless. 



' Captain James, there's a fine Turtle asleep just a 

 little on the port bow. We're hardly movin', don't 

 you think we might lower a boat and see if we can't get 

 him ? I know just the trick of it. I've harpooned lots 

 of 'em in the South Pacific when I was whalin' there.' 



' All right, Mr. Smith ; go ahead and wish you luck.' 



The fine old barque is rounded to (there's hardly 

 enough wind to do it) and the brisk young second mate, 

 infecting the members of his watch with his own en- 

 thusiasm, gets the boat in the water in about ten 

 minutes. He takes the harpoon which he has properly 

 bridled long ago and whispers instructions to his crew 

 how to paddle quietly and obey the wave of his hand. 



