WHALING AND BEAR-HUNTING 245 



his head and one great forefoot out and the timber was 

 flying and six men struggling to nail him up, he gave one a 

 sense of great strength. He is now inside the remnants of 

 timber baulks of about three cages. As he chews one batten 

 up more timber is nailed on over the first stumps. Some of us 

 thought the bridge gave a good point of view : the struggling 

 figure, and the steam of its breath as the cage was turned 

 over, and Gisbert's cigarette smoke as he pulled and 

 hauled and directed the various manoeuvres, made a fairly 

 dramatic picture. I thought my services might be called 

 on at any minute with my Browning, but six men, 

 active of mind and body, and various ingenious appliances 

 of tackles and hatchets and big nails, at last made Bruin 

 secure, and the stillness of the misty day come over us 

 again. 



Later, a great narwhal raised his back and tail right 

 astern, groaned and went under with hardly a ripple, and 

 we saw his white length come towards us under the glassy 

 surface and disappear under the ship. So the whale-boat 

 was lowered and a crew went out and lay a hundred yards 

 off. My fishing instinct told he was the only one about, so 

 I stayed on board and painted an ice effect. The whale- 

 boat and men lay perfectly reflected, and looked almost 

 too still and colourless through the thin mist to be real, 

 looking more like a faded print of people waiting for perch 

 than whalers waiting with stern intent to do or die. Bow 

 lay on his back smoking, the smoke rising straight up, the 

 others chatted in subdued voices. 



On board, Pedersen the steward started his guitar and 

 mouth-organ, and altogether, with the turn-turn, common 

 waltz music, and the outer stillness it did not feel a bit as it 

 ought to do in the Arctic regions, 



" Where there's frost and there's snow 

 And the stormy winds do blow, 

 And the daylight's never done, 

 Brave Boys," 



as the old song goes. 



I have mentioned our many-sided steward. Photography 

 seems to be another of his accomplishments hobbies, I 



