Hiding a Sea Monster.

Evening Post, Volume LIV, Issue 152, 24 December 1897, Page 5 (Supplement)

Hiding a Sea Monster.

Florida boys have one kind of exciting sport which the young folk of more northern lands know little about (says the Chicago Record). It consists of catching the huge sea-turtles which frequent the bay along the southern coast of Florida. The turtles, from whioh is made the grean-turtle soup so familiar to restaurant fare, are confined by the fishermen in huge pens, or ' turtlecrawls,' consisting of fences extending from the shore out into the water. When the fisherman wants a great turtle for market, one of the boys, whose shiny brown body is stripped bare, stands in the prow of the boat as it is pushed from the shore. He watches intently, and presently he sees one of the big turtles taking a nap on the clear white sand of thei>ottom. He dives quickly, and, swimming down from behind, seizes the turtle firmly by its shell. Of course, the turtle wakes up, and, like a bucking broncho, begins to dash and plunge wildly about, seeking to throw its plucky rider. Not succeeding in this, it darts quickly to the surfaoe, where the boy gets his first breath. Then down again it goes, tearing through the water and beating the foam with its flippers. But its rider never lets go for a moment, and presently the great turtle grows exhausted, and the boy, by lifting on the front end of the shell, forces it to tho boat, where it is quickly loaded aboard and taken away to market. It is great sport, and the boys enjoy it.