AND THE WALRUS 



sealers slaughtered eight hundred of them in six hours. 

 Such a thing could scarcely happen nowadays, for past 

 experience has given the animals a horror of ships and 

 men, except when feelings of revenge are aroused in them ; 

 and they seem to be steadily migrating further and 

 further north. Moreover, on landing, their instinct 

 inclines them to rocks and ice-floes which are inaccessible 

 to men and often to bears. 



Nevertheless, the Japanese, American, and English 

 fleets score a pretty good total among them in the course 

 of a year, both land and water hunting. The procedure 

 is much the same as in sealing, except that the vigilance 

 and unity of the bands make the task more difficult and 

 uncertain. The only very successful way of killing 

 walruses on shore is for the crews to sneak in as quietly as 

 possible, and shoot the sentries before they can give the 

 alarm; then to spring ashore and line up between the 

 water and the herd. On shore the animals are unable to 

 harm any persecutor who can keep them at arm's length, 

 and the whole colony soon fall victims to the axes and 

 pikes of the fishermen. 



In the water the case is altered, and the risk is so great 

 that many seasoned whalers and sealers will have nothing 

 to do with such work. The instinct of the herds tells 

 them when the odds are against or in favour of them ; if 

 they are strong in numbers, and there is but one boat, the 

 men will do well to content themselves with what they 

 can kill by firing at long range. Even then a herd will 

 often follow a boat for miles. 



several boats are attacking, the walruses swim 



