AN EXCITING SPORT.

Marlborough Express, Volume XXXVII, Issue 120, 23 May 1903, Page 1 (Supplement)

AN EXCITING SPORT.

RIDING A TURTLE.

The cow-boy who boasts that he can " ride anything that goes on four legs " might be led to estimate his abilities a little more modestly if he could have the experiment which came to Prof. Charles F. Holder the naturalist, on the coast of Florida. After the ordinary diversion of turtle-catching, he decided to try a turtle on the open reef, and with this object in view had his boatsman row him over to the lagoon, where green turtles feed and can sometimes be seen asleep on the white sandy bot* torn, in ten feet of water.

Slowly the boatsman sculled the dingey along until just ahead the black form of a sea-turtle was seen. Slowly and carefully we approached until we could see which way the head was lying. Fortunately it was away from me, and slipping over I swam down to the bottom, then along until I could reach over and grab the animal over the neck ; and then the unexpected happened.

This was a wild and untamed creature. Never had the hand of man touched it and it was like a bucking broncho. It nearly turned over backward in the vigorous spring for the surface which it made. " Puff ! Pufi" came from its nostrils as my arms were almost jerked out, and away it dashed down, down, then along the bottom, rising, half-turning with a peculiar screw-like movement, and showing little or no desire to rise.

I could at that time retain my breath over a minute, lut it seemed an hour before the turtle began to rise and the pace was so rapid that I had no time to raise my knees. I was about to cast off,when it rose and broke water with a loud puff, and plunged down again.

In this breathing spell I caught a glimpse of the boat following, and could see that Paublo was waving his hands, but water, as the turtle plunged down again shut off the view. Now tipping on one side, now on the other, careering this way and that, now diving to the bottom, dashing up to skim along the surface in a mass of foam, to sound again, I realised that the gamy turtle was doing its best to unhorse me, to shake off this old man of the sea, that had so firm a hold.

I still had the temerity to believe that if the water bad been shallow 1 could have taken my turtle, but unfortunately for this sport, water will deepen; and without warning my steed plunged over the side of one of the deep blue channels which, without rhyme or reason, cut into the lagoon. It was a short heat. I felt the water growing perceptibly colder, made one ineffectual effort to get my knees on the shell of the flying animal and then cast off, parted company as near as I could judge, twenty feet from tue surface, rising to be picked up by my demoralised boatman, who said " he'd be dogged el he didn't think I was crasy sure 'nough." In confidence I cannot recommend the sport, although my boatman remarked that if 1 could hold my breath twenty minutes I could catch a turtle Riding green turtles in a wide and extended enclosure is sport of a novel kind, but ilaiigerpuSi