WALRUS-CATCHING IN RICE STRAIT. 31 



Harpooning walrus usually takes place from an open boat, and 

 as two or three days', or even a fortnight's, absence from the 

 ship must be counted on, it is necessary that the boat should be 

 a strong one, and also such as to afford protection against the 

 animals themselves, as well as against the weather. For cookino- 

 purposes, a fire is lighted, according to circumstances, either in the 

 boat itself, on the ice, or on land. Large quantities of drift- 

 wood are to be found where the walrus is usually captured, and 

 this is especially the case near Nova Zembla. 



The boat is a whited sepulchre. On account of the sanguinary 

 nature of the operations it is painted red inside, but outside, in 

 order to be as invisible as possible, it is white, as are also the oars, 

 and the clothes of the crew. In addition to the usual tackle of a 

 boat, each one carries a cooking-pot, a coffee-kettle, a small chest 

 of provisions, an oak barrel containing fresh water, a hatchet for 

 chopping wood, an extra large and strong axe for removing the 

 tusks from the head of the walrus, one or two lances for despatching 

 the animals, one or two twofold purchase-tackles for hauling them 

 up on the ice for skinning, four seal-hooks, two loose harpoon-shafts 

 of white pine, twelve to fourteen feet in length, and eight harpoons 

 with a line twelve to fourteen fathoms in length. 



The crew consists of four men ; one of whom is the harpooner, 

 one the coxswain, and two the rowers. The harpooner's place is in 

 the bows of the boat, in which he is the most important man ; he 

 is the tacksman when they are under sail, but even then he has 

 full command of the boat. 



As soon as a herd of walrus is sighted, the men start off rowing 

 as hard as they possibly can until the harpooner with both hands 

 has thrown his harpoon, and shouts that he has 'got fast' an 

 animal. Then the oars are shipped, and the walrus takes in hand 

 the further transit of the boat in his strenuous efforts to keep up 

 with his comrades. The performance is accompanied by loud 

 music from the herd, and the pace is such that the spray flies from 

 the bows of the boat. All this time it is the coxswain's duty to 

 steer the boat in such a manner that the rowers, who are now 

 standing up amidships, each with his seal-hook in his hand, may 

 be able to fish up the shaft of the harpoon, which is made to fit 



