316 HISTORY AND METHODS OF THE FISHERIES. 



and had them coine up and put their tusks into a plank and tear it down two streaks before 

 clearing themselves. They frequently approach and throw their tusks over the gunwale of a 

 boat. I have known of two cases where men were hurt in this way, one where the walrus put his 

 tusk through the foot of one man, and in the other case he hooked his tusk into the clothes of the 

 other man and took him down. Where two or more are shooting, great caution should be exercised, 

 as serious results may happen. Sometimes a ball may strike a tusk and glance off. Such a case 

 has occurred, and it resulted in the death of the man. The walrus shooting is exciting, and to the 

 sportsman would be considered fine game. 



"When walrus are raised from the mast-head, the ship is worked up to within about three miles 

 of them, always keeping to leeward, as their scent is very keen. After placing the ship in position, 

 the gunner with his two men takes his dingey and starts for the ice where the walrus are hauled 

 up. We generally send a boat with the dingey to tow her, or to render assistance if needed. When 

 within about a naif mile of the ice the boat lets go and the dingey works carefully up towards the 

 ice, as walrus are very easily gallied, and it is sometimes two or three hours before they can be 

 approached near enough to be killed. The gunner gets out, and, crawling on hands and knees, 

 seeks shelter behind a piece of ice to get a shot at them, care being exercised to keep to the leeward, 

 for if the animals get scent of man they are apt to leave in haste. After getting a good position, 

 and the gunner finding that the walrus are not aware of his presence, he picks his chance, as it is 

 of importance that the first walrus he shoots should be killed at once, for if he were to wound one 

 it might gaily the rest and they would leave the ice. But after he has shot some of them, he may 

 get on their carcasses and continue shooting ; for at times the walrus do not seem to mind the 

 presence of a man or a report of a gun, and at other times they take fright very easily. The 

 gunner usually wears a white suit, to keep as near the color of the ice as possible. One of the best 

 times for shooting walrus is a bright sunny day, as they are then stupid and sleepy ; but as stupid 

 as they seem, they can show fight. A captain in our fleet was one day shooting on the ice. He 

 encountered one that showed pretty good play, and the captain had quite a tussle with him to 

 see which should have the rifle. The captain, however, won the battle and a dead walrus to boot. 

 I think he must have been a king walrus, as I have not heard of any more such battles; but as a 

 rule the walrus is a harmless animal." 



4. STRIPPING AND PREPARING THE BLUBBER. 



When a sufficient number* of walrus have been killed, the men strip off the hide and blubber. 

 For this purpose a sharp knife is used, often a razor fastened in a wooden handle. Cuts are made 

 through the hide and blubber, making strips about 7 by 12 inches called "horse pieces." The end 

 of a piece is held in one baud, while, with a knife in the other, the hunter separates the 

 blubber from the flesh, and throws the pieces aside to be taken to the vessels. The head is cut off 

 with an ax, and the tongue is saved to be pickled for food. Whalers frequently save the heart 

 and liver, which are fried and eaten as in the case of bullocks ; these dishes are said to be very 

 palatable. The flesh is often cooked in the style of sausage meat, though it is sometimes roasted, 

 and has been called by some whalers '' marine beef." When made into sausage, as is also the meat 

 of the whale, it is called " forced-meat balls." The galls are sometimes saved and sold to Chinamen 

 at San Francisco, who are said to use them in the manufacture of silk. Whalers seldom save the 

 hides on account of their little commercial value and the trouble of stripping them off. They are 

 saved, however, by the natives and by foreign walrus hunters, and sell for quite a sum in Russia 



*Capt. L. C. Owen states that his crew took 1,600 walrus from Jane 10 to July 4, 1877, and that they secured 

 700 of them in forty-eight hours. 



