A WALRUS HUNT. 407 



get a harpoon well into him after he was wounded, 

 and hold on to him until he was killed. As to killing 

 the animal where he lay, that was not likely to hap- 

 pen, for the thick skin destroys the force of the ball 

 before it can reach any vital part, and indeed, at a dis- 

 tance, actually flattens it ; and the skull is so heavy 

 that it is hard to penetrate with an ordinary bullet, 

 imless the ball happens to strike through the eye. 



To Miller, a cool and spirited fellow, who had been 

 after whales on the " nor- west coast," was given the 

 harpoon, and he took his station at the bows ; while 

 Knorr, Jensen, and myself kept our places in the 

 stern-sheets, and held our rifles in readiness. Each 

 selected his animal, and we fired in concert over the 

 heads of the oarsmen. As soon as the rifles were dis- 

 charged, I ordered the men to " give way," and the 

 boat shot right among the startled animals as they 

 rolled off pell-mell into the sea. Jensen had fired at 

 the head of one of the bulls, and hit him in the neck ; 

 Knorr killed a young one, which was pushed off in 

 the hasty scramble and sank ; while I planted a minie- 

 ball somewhere in the head of the other bull and 

 drew from him a most frightful bellow, — louder, I 

 venture to say, than ever came from wild bull of 

 Bashan. When he rolled over into the water, which 

 he did with a splash that sent the spray flying all 

 over us, he almost touched the bows of the boat and 

 gave Miller a good opportunity to get in his harpoon, 

 which he did in capital style. 



The alarmed herd seemed to make straight for the 

 bottom, and the line spun out over the gunwale at a 

 fearful pace ; but, having several coils in the boat, the 

 end was not reached before the animals began to rise, 

 and we took in the slack and got ready for what was 



