206 NEW LAND. 



when once a real old bull takes to the water the whole herd 

 is pretty certain to follow him forthwith, and not an animal will 

 be left on the ice. 



Considering that it was walrus-shooting, we got within very 

 poor range that day, and it was not often that we were able to kill 

 many animals on one floe one or two slain, being the greatest 

 number we usually left behind us. Fosheim, however, was lucky 

 enough to shoot five on the same floe, and though the sixth had 

 so much life left in it that it floundered into the water, he was able 

 to kill it with the harpoon, so that we had all six on the floe 

 at once. 



At one time we attacked a herd of twenty animals on the same 

 floe, but managed to send them all into the water except two, 

 which remained lifeless on the field of battle. The uproar was 

 indescribable ; the wounded and uninjured animals, one and all, 

 gathered round the boat roaring and bellowing, and we had to aim 

 straight, and have our harpoons in order that time. 



It was not many hours before we had killed twenty-two 

 walrus, which, with the eleven we had captured in Smith Sound, 

 made thirty-three animals, and quite a sufficient stock for the 

 winter ; though, if necessary, we could count on capturing a certain 

 number of walrus and seals in Jones Sound. 



To save time we took the last twelve on board and skinned 

 them on the way south. We hoisted them up with the steam- 

 winch, after having slit a loop in their throats, and hooked the 

 derrick-hook into them. The skin of the necks of these animals, 

 as I have mentioned before, is remarkably tough, and if a ' bank 

 ox ' weighs as much as a ton, which he often does, his hide is as 

 much as an inch in thickness. 



We now set our course for Glacier Strait, but in the early 

 morning, off Clarence Head, we were stopped by great masses 

 of drift-ice, which lay in towards land, and as far south as we 

 could see. Due east of us was a long point or neck of ice we 

 had got into a bay in the ice, and had to steer east towards the 

 Gary Islands. After rounding this point we set a course for Lady 

 Ann Strait, and when there found ourselves free from the drift-ice 

 both to the south and the east. 



