172 HUNTERS AND HUNTING IN THE ARCTIC 



fragile to withstand the attack of a walrus, as 

 well as the blows from the ice. Rachlew, 

 therefore, fired, and planted a bullet in its neck 

 at a range of one yard only. The animal sank 

 like a stone, to the lieutenant's great despair. 

 Such was our last encounter with a walrus. 



During the night we held a rather difficult 

 course towards Cape Flora, but discovering in 

 the morning that the ice-field would prevent us 

 landing, I decided to bear south of the Cape and 

 return to Norway. Thus our expedition to 

 Franz Joseph Land ended. We sailed south 

 without encountering those difficulties from the 

 ice which had met us on the northward journey, 

 and arrived safely at Hope Island and finally 

 at Norway. Rapid as this return was, it was 

 not without some interest from the standpoint 

 of natural history. 



We were at the end of August. The guille- 

 mots had commenced their migration, and 

 during two days, the 26th and 27th, we were 

 surrounded, as far as the eye could reach, with 

 couples of these birds swimming towards the 

 south. Each couple represented a mother and 

 its young one, swimming apart from the others. 

 There must have been thousands of them, and 

 not one swam alone or flew ; the sea was black 

 with them. I have come to the conclusion 



