Cardozo, who
remained with the boats, could not turn the animals on their
backs fast enough, so that a great many clambered out and got
free again. However, three boat-loads, or about eighty, were
secured in about twenty minutes. They were then taken ashore, and
each one secured by the men tying the legs with thongs of bast.
When the canoes had been twice filled, we desisted, after a very
hard day's work. Nearly all the animals were young ones, chiefly,
according to the statement of Pedro, from three to ten years of
age; they varied from six to eighteen inches in length, and were
very fat. Cardozo and I lived almost exclusively on them for
several months afterwards. Roasted in the shell they form a most
appetising dish. These younger turtles never migrate with their
elders on the sinking of the waters, but remain in the tepid
pools, fattening on fallen fruits, and, according to the natives,
on the fine nutritious mud. We captured a few full-grown
motherturtles, which were known at once by the horny skin of
their breast-plates being worn, telling of their having crawled
on the sands to lay eggs the previous year.
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