126 ODOB^NUS ROSMARUS ATLANTIC WALRUS. 



aud maimed at [Ji)erna\ik, routed liis numerous assailants, 

 and drove them in fear to seek for help from the settlement. 

 His movements were so violent as to jerk out the harpoons that 

 were stuck into him. The governor slew him with great diffi- 

 culty after several rifle-shots and lance-wounds from his whale- 

 boat. 



"On another occasion, a young and adventurous Inuit 

 plunged his nalegeit into a brown Walras ; but, startled by the 

 savage demeanor of the beast, called for help before using his 

 lance. The older men in vain cautioned him to desist. ^ It is a 

 brown Walrus,' said they; 'Axtvek-Kaiok!'' 'Hold back!' Find- 

 ing the caution disregarded, his only brother rowed forward 

 and plunged the second hari)oon. Almost in an instant the 

 animal charged upon the kayacker, ripping' him up, as the de- 

 scription went, after the fashion of his sylvan brother, the wild 

 boar. The story was told me with much animation ; how the 

 brother remaining rescued the corjDse of the brother dead ; and 

 how, as they hauled it up on the ice-floes, the ferocious beast 

 plunged in foaming circles, seeking fresh Aictims in that x^art 

 of the sea which was discolored by his blood. 



" Some idea may be formed of the ferocity of the Walrus," 

 continues Dr. Kane, "from the fact that the battle which 

 Morton witnessed, not without sharing some of its danger, 

 lasted four liours ; during which the animal rushed continually 

 at the Esquimaux as they approached, tearing off great tables 

 of ice with his tusks, and showing no indication of fear what- 

 ever. He received upward of seventy lance- wounds, Morton 

 counted over sixty; and even then he remained hooked by 

 his tusks to the margin of the ice, unable or unwilling to retire. 

 His female fought in the same manner, but fled on receiving a 

 lance- wound. The Esquimaux seemed to be fully aware of the 

 danger of venturing too near ; for at the first onset of the Wal- 

 rus they jumped back far enough to be clear of the broken ice. 

 Morton described the last three hours as wearing, on both 

 sides, the aspect of an unbroken and seemingly doubtful com- 

 bat."* 



From the foregoing it appears that the early accounts of the 

 courage of the Walrus and its attacking and even destroying 

 boats in defense of its young, or in retaliation for an assault, 

 finds amx3le corroboration. I conclude the abundant evidence 

 on this subject by the following from the pen of Mr. Eobert 



* Arctic Exploration, vol. i, pp. 414-417. 



