THE WALRUS 141 



and were coasting Pendulum Island through 

 a large ice-free canal. The beauty of the coast 

 had kept us on deck until midnight, and I 

 was just retiring when Commander de Gerlache 

 warned me that a walrus was in sight. The 

 Belgica stopped, and I mounted the bridge 

 in less time than it takes to write these words. 

 From the bridge I saw to the larboard a small 

 ice splinter, floating in the middle of the blue sea. 

 There was something very strange about this 

 ice splinter a brown undefinable mass sur- 

 mounted it ; it resembled more than anything 

 else an inflated gas-bag. Beneath the weight 

 of it the ice splinter almost sank. The effect 

 was curious ; it led one to think that here was 

 some antediluvian monster. As a matter of 

 fact, it could have been nothing but an enormous 

 walrus. 



I had long desired to see a walrus harpooned 

 by hand, so I had a small boat lowered and 

 embarked with my Mannlicher repeating rifle. 

 Captain Swensen took the oars. He was to 

 play the part of harpooner. In low voices we 

 discussed circumstances and arranged our plan 

 of attack. We decided to try and approach 

 our quarry from behind without awaking it. 

 To do this we were compelled to break our way 

 through young ice which had already formed 



