WHALING VOYAGE. 
351 
same time affording every now and then some very 
awkward thumps with its flippers. We could not for- 
bear, when we thought of our strange rencontre, break- 
ing out into an immoderate fit of laughter, which had 
the effect of decreasing our strength and destroying our 
vigilance, so that the turtle at this moment making 
another violent struggle, broke from our hold and es- 
caped, leaving us covered with sand and drenched with 
water. However, when we returned to the shore, we 
found that we had secured above forty of the finest, so 
that we had no reason to regret the loss of the one that 
had escaped. 
After having placed two of the largest in our boat, 
we set about returning to the ship, leaving the others 
secure on the beach. But while we were passing through 
the bay, we observed an immense number of large 
sharks and dog-fish, with enormous sting- rays, or “ devil 
Ash,” which last are formed very similar to the common 
fish known by the name of skate, only much larger, 
being from five to six feet across, the posterior angle of 
their flat bodies ending in a long tail, which gives them 
a remarkable appearance. These curious fish were very 
shy, for the moment they saw the boat they set off 
in a great flurry out to sea, using their immense flaps 
through the shallow water, as a bird uses its wings, 
leaving a “ wake” after them like a steam-boat. But as 
for ** Master John Shark,” as the sailors sometimes term 
them, they were not to be intimidated in the least by our 
appearance, in fact they frequently came close to our 
boat without evincing the slightest concern. The dog- 
