WRECKS IN SPITZBERGEN. 195 



If you hit him much below a certain part of the 

 head you strike the jaw-joint, which is about the 

 strongest part of the whole cranium. A leaden 

 bullet striking there, or on the front of the head, is 

 flattened like a piece of putty, without doing much 

 injury to the walrus; and we sometimes found 

 that even our hardened bullets, propelled by five 

 drachms of powder, were broken into little pieces 

 against the rocky crania of these animals. 



On the 19th we had a storm from the southwest, 

 and lay-to all day ; as it increased toward the even- 

 ing, and the motion aggravated the smell from the 

 hold to an intolerable extent, we took shelter to the 

 leeward of Halmanne Island, and came to an anchor 

 there about midnight. 



The gale continued on the 20th, so we remained 

 in shelter, and sent both boats ashore for fire-wood 

 and water. The wood we procured on this island 

 was mostly part of the remains of a schooner from 

 Hammerfest, which had been lost in this bay in a 

 gale of wind five years ago ; it was her first voyage, 

 and they had neglected to make the cable fast at the 

 inner end, the consequence of which lubberly pro- 

 ceeding naturally was that it all ran out, and the 

 vessel drove ashore and went to pieces. 



From what I have heard, I am inclined to sus- 

 pect that a good many of the shipwrecks which 

 happen in Spitzbergen are caused willfully, in order 

 to defraud the insurance-offices. These vessels are 

 principally insured in Hamburg, and I believe the 



