72 ADVENTURES IN THE NORTHERN SEAS. 



in a sort of indiscriminate melee among themselves, 

 and were more particularly virulent against a small 

 pink Jelly-fish which I put into the tumbler beside 

 them. 



13th. At 3 A.M. this morning we were aroused 

 by the cheering cry of "Hvalruus paa Ysen" (wal- 

 ruses on the ice). We both got up immediately, 

 and from the deck a curious and exciting spectacle 

 met our admiring gaze. Four large flat icebergs 

 were so densely packed with walruses that they 

 were sunk almost awash with the water, and had 

 the appearance of being solid islands of walrus I 



The monsters lay with their heads reclining on 

 one another's backs and sterns, just as I have seen 

 rhinoceroses lying asleep in the African forests ; 

 or, to use a more familiar simile, like a lot of fat 

 hogs in a British straw-yard. I should think there 

 were about eighty or one hundred on the ice, and 

 many more swam grunting and spouting around, 

 and tried to clamber up among their friends, who, 

 like surly people in a full omnibus, grunted at them 

 angrily, as if to say, "Confound you, don"t you see 

 that we are full? 11 There were plenty more good 

 flat icebergs about, but they always seem to like 

 being packed as closely as possible for mutual 

 warmth. These four islands were several hundred 

 yards apart, and, after feasting our eyes for a little 

 on the glorious sight, we resolved to take them in 

 succession, and not to fire at first ; but the walruses 

 had not been long enough on the ice to have got 



