DISRATE SOLOMON. 85 



wale of the boat and overset it in an instant While 

 the men were floundering in the water among their 

 oars and tackle, the infuriated animal rushed in 

 among them, and, selecting the unlucky harpooner, 

 who, I fancy, had fallen next him, he tore him near- 

 ly into two halves with his tusks. The rest of the 

 men saved themselves by clambering on to the ice 

 until the other boat came to their assistance. 



Upon another occasion I made the acquaintance 

 of the skyppar of a sloop who had been seized by 

 a bereaved cow walrus, and by her dragged twice 

 to the bottom of the sea, but without receiving any 

 injury beyond being nearly drowned, and having a 

 deep scar plowed in each side of his forehead by 

 the tusks of the animal, which he thought did not 

 wish to hurt him, but mistook him for her calf as 

 he floundered in the water. 



Owing to the great coolness and expertness of 

 the men following this pursuit, such mishaps are 

 not of very frequent occurrence, but still a season 

 seldom passes without two or three lives being lost 

 one way or another. 



16th. Mem. " Johann," alias "Jack," to be sec- 

 ond harpooner on trial, vice Solomon, superseded 

 for incapacity. The latter bears his degradation 

 with philosophy and equanimity worthy of his great 

 namesake, and descends to the much less honorable 

 position of line-holder ; probably he is somewhat 

 consoled for his loss of position by knowing that it 

 will not affect his emoluments, having signed arti- 



