46 ADVENTURES IN THE NORTHERN SEAS. 



it from becoming disengaged. The best proof of 

 its excellence is, that when a walrus is once prop- 

 erly harpooned and the line tight, he very rarely es- 

 capes. Each of these harpoon heads has grummet- 

 ed round its neck one end of a line of twelve or fif- 

 teen fathoms long, each line being neatly coiled up 

 in a separate flat box under the front thwart, and 

 the opposite end secured to some strong part of the 

 boat inside. The lines do not require to be longer, 

 because the walrus is not generally found in water 

 more than fifteen fathoms deep, and even if the wa- 

 ter should happen to exceed that depth, he is not 

 able to drag the boat under, from inability to exert 

 his full strength when subjected to the pressure of 

 twelve or fifteen fathoms of water. The lines are 

 made of two-inch tarred hemp rope, very soft laid, 

 and should be of the very finest materials and best 

 possible workmanship. 



There are generally four shafts for the harpoons, 

 and it is not customary to keep more than one 

 mounted, unless when walruses are actually in sight. 

 They are made of white pine poles twelve or thir- 

 teen feet long, planed down to about an inch and a 

 half or an inch and a quarter in thickness, and are 

 tapered to a point for about four inches at one end 

 to make them fit into the sockets of the heads. 

 After placing a harpoon on a shaft, it is fixed by 

 striking the butt end of the shaft smartly against 

 a little block of wood, which is fixed for the pur- 

 pose between two of the timbers of the boat, about 



