AN ARCTIC TEAM. 83 



tention to "polishing off" the two live walruses — 

 well-sized young bulls — who are still towing the 

 heavy boat, with their two dead comrades attached, 

 as if she was behind a steam-tug, and struggling 

 madly to drag us under the icebergs : a vigorous 

 application of the lances soon settles the business, 

 and we now, with some difficulty, tow our four dead 

 victims to the nearest flat iceberg and fix the ice- 

 anchor, by which, with the powerful aid of block 

 and tackle, we haul them one by one on the ice and 

 divest them of their spoils. Meantime Lord Da- 

 vid's boat is carried past us at eight miles an hour 

 in full tow of two enormous bulls, with his lordship 

 sitting in the stern like Neptune in his car, but 

 holding in his hand, instead of the trident of the 

 marine god, a much more effective weapon in the 

 shape of a four-barreled rifled. 



While we were engaged in cutting up these wal- 

 ruses, there were at least fifty more surrounding 

 the iceberg, snorting and bellowing, and rearing up 

 in the water as if smelling the blood of their slaugh- 

 tered friends, and curious to see what we were do- 

 ing to them now. They were so close that I might 

 have shot a dozen of them ; but, as they would have 

 been sure to sink before the boat could get to them, 

 I was not so cruel as wantonly to take their lives. 

 When the walruses were all skinned, we followed 

 the herd again with success ; and when we left off, 

 in consequence of dense fog suddenly coming on, 

 we had secured nine altogether — a very fair morn- 

 ing's bag, we thought. 



