A FIGHT WITH WALRUSES 35 



the boats, rushing at them, snorting with rage, en- 

 deavouring to upset them or stave them in by hooking 

 their tusks on the gunwales, or butting at them with 

 their heads. " It was the opinion of our people," says 

 Beechey, " that in this assault the walruses were led on 

 by one animal in particular, a much larger and more 

 formidable beast than any of the others ; and they 

 directed their efforts more particularly towards him, 

 but he withstood all the blows of their tomahawks 

 without flinching, and his tough hide resisted the entry 

 of the whale lances, which were, unfortunately, not 

 very sharp, and soon bent double. The herd was so 

 numerous, and their attacks so incessant, that there 

 was not time to load a musket, which, indeed, was the 

 only effectual mode of seriously injuring them. The 

 purser, fortunately, had his gun loaded, and the whole 

 now being nearly exhausted with chopping and stick- 

 ing at their assailants, he snatched it up, and, thrust- 

 ing the muzzle down the throat of the leader, fired 

 into him. The wound proved mortal, and the animal 

 fell back amongst his companions, who immediately 

 desisted from their attack, assembled round him, and 

 in a moment quitted the boat, swimming away as hard 

 as they could with their leader, whom they actually 

 bore up with their tusks and assiduously preserved 

 from sinking." 



On one occasion Franklin and Beechey, when out in 

 a boat together, witnessed the launch of an iceberg. 

 They had approached the end of a glacier and were 

 trying to search into the recess of a deep cavern at 

 its foot when they heard a report as if of a cannon, 

 and, turning to the quarter whence it proceeded, per- 



