THE WALRUS 151 



to the fact that the sea is frozen right to the 

 bottom during the winter, its superficies only 

 melting during the spring. 



The cape near which we landed was formed 

 of large blocks of well-worn basalt, and was of 

 no great height. Round about, thawing snow 

 had rendered the earth swampy. In places, 

 mosses and anemones and, to my great 

 astonishment, long green grasses flourished in 

 the clayey soil. I was about to examine this 

 curious vegetation when Swensen recalled me 

 to the boat. He informed me that he had just 

 seen a female walrus and her young swimming 

 parallel with the coast close to the beach. We 

 rowed to the spot where the animals had dived, 

 and waited. Shortly afterwards they reappeared. 

 They were swimming too rapidly, however, for 

 us to overtake and harpoon them. I waited 

 whilst Joe photographed them, and then, taking 

 advantage of a moment when the head and neck 

 of the mother were well above the water, I 

 fired and killed it. She swam onwards for a 

 few moments, then slowly sank. Although the 

 men at the oars did their utmost, we came up too 

 late to harpoon it. The water, we found, was 

 far too deep to permit of the body being raised. 

 My annoyance was extreme ; I hate losing 

 wounded or killed game, and prefer rather to 



