130 HUNTERS AND HUNTING IN THE ARCTIC 



on small splinters of ice which serve to submerge 

 the hindquarters whilst elevating the head. 

 To approach it then is not a difficult matter. 

 On the other hand, it is quite impossible to 

 approach in the same way the larger species 

 of seals, for they are always on the qui vive. 



Generally, Norwegian whaling boats are 

 used for hunting the walrus it is imperative 

 that only the strongest of boats be used. The 

 harpooner sits in the bows, having before him 

 four small casks, in each of which is a harpoon 

 attached to a carefully coiled line. The wooden 

 handle of the harpoon is flexible, and the steel 

 point is only attached to it at the last moment. 

 As soon as the harpoon has been flung, the boat 

 backs away to the full length of the line. The 

 lines are rarely more than one hundred yards 

 long, because walruses habitually seek shallow 

 water, and never dive to more than a depth of 

 a hundred and fifty feet. At that depth the 

 pressure is too great to permit of the animal 

 capsizing the boat. 



Besides harpoons, walrus hunters carry 

 lances. The steel points of these lances are 

 light and very sharp, while the handle is made 

 of pine, shaped conically. These harpoons are 

 almost as thick as a carriage shaft. The reason 

 for this disproportion between the handle 



