HUNTING THE NARWHAL 359 



of the young boys followed Portlooner's kayak. In 

 a very few minutes he had his harpoon in an old bull. 

 It was a very lively old walrus and made a long run 

 from camp before it was finally killed. With a 

 strong head wind and the tide against us it was 

 found such slow work towing the carcass back to 

 camp that we finally landed it on a pan of ice to dis- 

 sect, and it was wonderful to see the dexterity with 

 which even the small boys wielded the knife in cut- 

 ting the animal up, and how quickly it was accom- 

 plished. Not a scrap was wasted, and with all of 

 it finally stowed in the boat we resumed our pull to- 

 ward camp. 



We were perhaps a mile from Annootok when a 

 large school of narwhals was sighted some distance 

 away, but unfortunately we were too heavily laden 

 with walrus meat to follow. It was a beautiful spec- 

 tacle when the whole school rose to blow almost in 

 unison, as they frequently did, the long white ivory 

 horns of the males gleaming in the sunlight. Only 

 the males have horns usually one, rarely two which 

 protrude approximately from the middle of the head 

 and vary in length from four to eight feet. I have 

 never been able to get a satisfactory explanation as 

 to why nature has provided them with the horn. 

 From my own observation, and from the testimony 

 of the Eskimos, I am certain they never fight among 

 themselves, and they appear never to use it in attack 

 upon other animals, and I believe never defend them- 

 selves with it. It is very handsome ivory, of con- 

 siderable commercial value, prized by traders who are 



