82 VOYAGE TO THE POLAR SEA. August 



farther progress. The weather was perfectly calm with 

 a temperature ranging from 32° to 39°. 



While securing the ships at the edge of the floe 

 three walruses were observed lying asleep at a short 

 distance from us. Commander Markham at once started 

 in a whale-boat with a harpoon gun ; while another of 

 the party made a short cut across the floe towards 

 the animals, with a view of obtaining a shot if they 

 became frightened and made off before the arrival of 

 the boat. Beyond occasionally raising their heads and 

 looking round, they took no notice of our movements 

 and permitted the boat to approach to within a few 

 feet of them, when the largest one was easily har- 

 pooned, and the other two hit by several bullets. The 

 latter, although they were very severely wounded, dis- 

 appeared into the water and were never seen again. 

 The animal harpooned was towed back and hoisted 

 on to the floe. Its dimensions were, length twelve feet 

 six inches, girth eleven feet six inches, tusks eighteen 

 and a half inches in length. 



The flesh and blubber when cut up filled five casks 

 of two hundred and fifty pounds weight each. The 

 meat when fried was much appreciated by all of us, 

 and the liver was pronounced to be excellent. The 

 dogs made a hearty meal off the scraps. 



The ice remaining stationary, all hands turned out 

 in the evening on the smooth floe for a game of foot- 

 ball, the dogs, poor things, also being landed for a run. 

 Some of them being harnessed gave the novices an 

 opportunity of practising the art of sledge-driving. 



With each dog pulling in a different direction the 

 starting was a ludicrous sight, and was seldom effected 



