Page:Twenty Thousand Verne Frith 1876.pdf/460

From Wikisource
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This page has been proofread, but needs to be validated.
FROM CAPE HORN TO THE AMAZON.
201

with extraordinary precision. This animal is, in fact, a living fish-hook, which would make a tyro’s fortune.

The sailors tied to the tail a ring sufficiently large not to encumber its movements, and to this ring was fastened a long cord fastened to the Nautilus.

The echeneide, thrown into the sea, fixed themselves to the breastplates of the tortoises. Their tenacity was so great that they suffered themselves to be torn to pieces rather than let go. They were hauled on board with the tortoises to which they had attached themselves.

Several caconanes were also taken, weighing 400 lbs. Their shells, covered with horny plates—thin, brown, and transparent—fetch a high price. They are also excellent eating—like the fresh turtles. This fishing brought our sojourn at the Amazon to a close, and, as night fell, the Nautilus steered for the open sea.