140 HUNTING IN THE ARCTIC 



they had not been jolted off into the water. Four sleep- 

 ing animals did for a few minutes revive our hopes, but 

 as they got our wind they betook themselves to life and 

 safety. We now left the field on the east side of the 

 pack and pushed westward through the narrow barrier 

 into a great sweep, several miles across, where the ice 

 blocks were more loosely scattered. Sixteen herds of 

 walrus were here visible at one time, and the aggregate 

 within sight at one time must have been many hundreds. 

 We sent at least one hundred of them into the water, as 

 we made a final effort to locate Lovering's lost ones, and 

 then tied up to a floe to hunt afresh. 



Up to this time I had not had the first shot at any 

 walrus, though I had fired at two lots after the gunner 

 had selected his head. Collins and Elting each had one 

 to his credit, so Lovering and I put off in the kayaks to 

 try our luck. Two good-sized bunches lay to windward 

 and first we made for the leeward lot, while the umiak 

 with Collins, Elting, Kleinschmidt et al went after 

 another collection a half mile farther to leeward. These 

 jumped into the water, when I fired at the lot we were 

 after, just as oiu* friends were about to stalk them. 



Not to fill out an empty paragraph, I missed my shot 

 because, foolishly leaving on a heavy glove, the finger 

 caught and made the barrel shift, and the whole herd 

 escaped. We lay motionless on our ridge ten feet wide 

 and perhaps fifty long, within thirty-five yards of the 

 infuriated creatures as they milled around their yellow 

 resting place, for we wanted to go on and, had they dis- 

 covered us, the walrus might have kept us marooned for 

 several hours. Presently the band dispersed, part of it 

 making for the other neighboring troop, which, a half 

 mile to our right, had not been at all alarmed by the 

 shooting. 



