Description Long ago, turtles did not have shells and were fast. In fact, Tortuga the turtle was one of the fastest runners in his village. But he was not quite as fast, or respected, as the leader of the village, Mabella..When Tortuga sees a sorcerer gift Mabella a mysterious, magical drum, he hatches a plan to steal it from her. But his jealousy will have disastrous consequences. In this retelling of a traditional Cuban folktale, learn how turtles got their shells.