MaT Jambol and the turtle

Mat jambol and the turtle story

One day, while Mat Jambol was out fishing, a large wave smashed into boat. Mat Jambol hit his head against the side of the boat and fell into the water. When he awoke, he found himself being helped by two turtles The larger one held him up by swimming under him, and the smaller one bit him gently from time to time to keep him awake. Together, the turtles brought him
to the shore near his village.

When Mat Jambol told his friends what had happened none of them believed him. They thought he would come to his sense when his wound healed, but Mat Jambol just smiled to himself.

A few week later, a terrible storm came to the island. The wind blew, and it rained very hard for several days. During the storm. Mat Jambol stayed inside his house and repaired his nets. When the rain stopped. He went out to look at the sea. The beach was covered with turtles! There were turtles from one end of the beach to the other. They were very large and had strange makings on their grey shells.

A little boy came running up the beach to Mat Jambol. “Mat Jambol,” he said, “Loook at the turtles! What kind are they? What are they doing? Where did they come from?”

Mat Jambol smiled. “You ask so many questions,” he said. “these are leatherback turtles. They usually go to Dungun in Trengganu to lay their eggs, but perhaps, because of the storm, they have come here instead. Just think, they have come all the way from the Indian Ocean,”

Soon everyone in the village had come to watch the turtles lay their eggs. The turtle dug holes in the sand and laid their eggs in the holes.

“Why don’t we dance on the turtles for good luck?” said one village woman.

Mat Jambol laughed. “that’s just an old wives’ tale,” he said. “Besides, you might hurt the turtles.”

Soon the turtles had finished laying their eggs. They covered the eggs with sand then went back into the sea.

Mat Jambol called the little boy, “We must protect the turtles egg,” he said, “Tell the other children to help you look after them so that dogs and snakes don’t eat them.”

After that, the village children guarded the turtles’ eggs. And soon and the day came when the eggs began to hatch. Mat Jambol and the villagers helped the baby turtles out of their shells. They carefully put them in the water.

As the baby turtles swam away, Mat Jambol smiled. He was thinking of the two turtles which had saved his life