AMONG THE WALRUS HERDS 139 



the way back to the ''Abler" in our little kayaks, and 

 night would have long fallen. Wlien we started to skin 

 him the walrus tried to rise and Collins shot him again. 

 With knives and axe we got the head off and into tile 

 dory. We had a stiff row home, towing the kayaks; 

 the ice was packing so fast that it was nice work to pick 

 our way among the slush and small bits. 



Lovering had been unable to find his trophies and was 

 trying to control his anger. Half way to the schooner, 

 from which we had drifted some three miles, we came 

 up with the umiak (which Kleinschmidt had put out 

 after we got away), drawn upon a floe while its crew was 

 skinning two walrus. Elting had seciu-ed his first speci- 

 men and then invited Young and Kleinschmidt to have 

 a shot at the next herd. ICleinschmidt bagged his and 

 as they broke for water, the little doctor hit one in the 

 head and brought it down, — a regular ''wingshot." As 

 we approached Kleinschmidt asked, 



''Did you get them?" 



"No," answered Lovering shortly. 



We pushed off and reached the schooner at six- 

 thirty, tired with the rowing. 



From the rigging we could then see Kleinschmidt on 

 top of a high hummock at a great distance, looking for 

 the missing carcasses. An hour or so afterwards, he 

 came back with the news that he had located them just 

 beyond the floe where Collins had shot his. 



Although the mate thought we would find the lost 

 walrus next morning, it seemed to me futile to look for 

 them; and so it proved. 



We started at five o'clock of the morning and cruised 

 for a couple of hours in the vain attempt to find Lover- 

 ing's game. They had vanished into the pack, if, indeed 



