334 Reminiscences of 



would be sure to come for the advantages to be gained 

 in the breaking up of the pack, as they usually ap- 

 peared at that time in a most ravenous state. 



The natives had been patrolling the ice pack for 

 some days for walrus, and a visiting party accompanied 

 the ship's crew, who were anxious to kill a walrus. 

 The ice, open in some places, was generally weak 

 when frozen over, and the creeping on to the 

 walrus was followed with caution. Some walruses 

 were observed in a group near an open water space, and 

 as the party was approaching with great care there 

 suddenly arose a huge black object through the 

 ice from the water below, throwing up the splin- 

 ter ings of ice high in the air, and seized a walrus, 

 dragging it down below. It was the work of a moment. 

 It was a killer, which, observing the walrus from a 

 starting place below, had shattered the decaying 

 ice with its ponderous head, impelled with a velocity 

 which had been known to strike a whale momenta- 

 rily senseless. The witness was informed by the 

 natives that an occurrence similar to this had been 

 frequently witnessed. Shortly after this the ice broke 

 up in the bay, and was blown out by an off-shore 

 wind, when the Killers became plentiful, and their 

 spoutings were often heard and seen. 



One day the natives started out with three of 

 their largest boats, each manned by half a dozen rowers, 

 with harpoons and steerers. Once in the bay they 

 took different directions. A mile out the killers 

 were observed, first a school of them, their high dorsal 

 fins standing out distinctly against the horizon, and 

 at times their glistening backs in the sun. Their 

 movements were slow and deliberate, as they swam 



