FRIGHTFUL MASSACRE. 175 



the'end of August, 1858, 1 visited a small island, 

 which I think is the south westernmost of the Thou- 

 sand Islands, for the purpose of inspecting the scene 

 of the latest important massacre of this sort which . 

 had taken place, and the details of which were aft- 

 erward related to me by one of the perpetrators. 

 They are*as follows : 



It seems that this island had long been a very 

 celebrated place for walruses going ashore, and great 

 numbers had been killed upon it at different times 

 in by-gone years. In August, 1852, two small sloops 

 sailing in company approached the island, and soon 

 discovered a herd of walruses, numbering, as they 

 calculated, from three to four thousand, reposing 

 upon it. Four boats' crews, or sixteen men, pro- 

 ceeded to the attack with spears. 



One great mass of the walruses lay in a small, 

 sandy bay, with rocks inclosing it on each side, and 

 on a little mossy flat above the bay, but to which 

 the bay formed the only convenient access for such 

 unwieldy animals. A great many hundreds lay on 

 other parts of the island at a little distance. 



The boats landed a little way off, so as not to 

 frighten them, and the sixteen men, creeping along 

 shore, got between the sea and the bay full of 

 walruses before mentioned, and immediately com- 

 menced stabbing the animals next them. The wal- 

 rus, although so active and fierce in the water, is 

 very unwieldy and helpless on shore, and those in 

 front soon succumbed to the lances of their assail- 



