AT LITTLETON ISLAND. 417 



collisions with the ice, the intention was not enter- 

 tained. The pack was not more than ten miles from 

 the Greenland shore, and I therefore put back to 

 Littleton Island, and from that point watched the 

 movements of the ice. 



We found a convenient anchorage between Littleton 

 and McGary Islands, and we reached it just in time ; 

 for a severe gale, with thick snow, set in from the north- 

 ward as I had anticipated from the appearance of the 

 sky, and held for several days. Meanwhile the people 

 amused themselves with hunting. A herd of deer was 

 discovered on Littleton Island, and the walrus were 

 very numerous. Four of the latter were captured, — 

 this time, however, not from a boat, but by Hans, in 

 the true Esquimau style. They came along the shore 

 in great numbers, lying upon the beach in the sun, 

 where Hans approached them stealthily, and got fast 

 to them one by one with his harpoon. The line being 

 secured to a rock, the animals were held until they 

 were exhausted, and then drawn in, when they soon 

 became a prey to the rifles. Wishing to obtain a 

 young one for a specimen, I joined the hunters ; and, 

 selecting from the herd wdiich lay upon the rocks one 

 to suit my purposes, I fired upon and killed it. The 

 others plunged quickly into the water. The mother 

 of the dead calf was the last to leave the rock, and 

 seemed to do so very reluctantly. In a few moments 

 she came to the surface, and, wheeling around, discov- 

 ered the young one still lying upon the rock. Find- 

 ing that it did not answer to her cries, she rushed 

 frantically into the face of danger, and in fall view of 

 the cause of her woes, (for I had approached very 

 near the spot,) the unhappy creature, intent only 

 upon rescuing her offsprhig, drew herself out of the 



27 



