142 HUNTERS AND HUNTING IN THE ARCTIC 



around the ice splinter, and which cracked and 

 scrunched as we advanced. Provided we 

 could approach the animal sufficiently closely, 

 Swensen was to fling the harpoon, and as soon 

 as the animal raised its head I was to ike, 

 aiming for the third skin fold of the neck. If, 

 on the other hand, the walrus took alarm, a by 

 no means improbable contingency, considering 

 all circumstances, I was to fire as soon as an 

 opportunity afforded. Finally, if it escaped 

 into the sea, Swensen was to attempt to har- 

 poon it as soon as it came to the surface. 



I must point out that a harpoon is not a 

 weapon for dealing death. Its object is to 

 attach the animal until it has been killed, and 

 then to support the carcass, which otherwise 

 would sink immediately. It is, therefore, impera- 

 tive that a walrus should be harpooned before 

 being killed. My experience four years earlier 

 at Cape Arends (I have already related the 

 incident), when we had the greatest difficulty 

 in recovering the bodies of two walruses I shot 

 without having first harpooned them, established 

 this. Had the water on that occasion been 

 deeper, the walruses would have been lost. 

 More experienced now, I desired to avoid 

 similar accidents. 



As we neared the ice splinter we were able 



