174 TWO DIANAS IN ALASKA 



if there ain't a thundering big brute bearing down 

 on us now, and if he's not asleep, I guess he's dead, 

 anyway." 



Hastily going forward with glasses we made out 

 the body of a walrus coming up the centre of the 

 lagoon on the fast-rising tide, and drifting in such a 

 direction that it must pass close by the Lily. At first 

 we thought it might be one of our floating headless 

 carcases still drifting with the tides. But a closer 

 inspection revealed the fact that the animal's head 

 and neck were still intact, although the former lay 

 deep in the water, as the body lay on its side. 



The animal was obviously dead, and then we 

 realized that in all probability it was the beast at 

 which Agnes and Cecily had fired two days before. 

 A boat was quickly lowered, and Steve with two 

 sailors put off to intercept the carcase as it came 

 floating past. Steve stood in the bows holding a 

 rope, which he soon slipped round the dead beast's 

 head and thus towed it to the ship's side. 



Steve, who apparently thought we might be in 

 doubt as to whether he had accomplished a perform- 

 ance equalling that described by the worthy historian 

 Albertus Magnus, shouted out, " He dead all right, 

 big one, you bet I" And forsooth it was a big one, 

 since Agnes and Cecily had had first pick of the herd, 

 and this beast was even larger than either of the 

 others, and carried a fine pair of tusks, measuring 

 twenty-two inches below the gums. 



It was no easy matter to remove the scalp and 

 head, as the carcase was too heavy to lift bodily on 



