46 MY ARCTIC JOURNAL 



presence of blubber caches, seal caches, and the ruins of an 

 Eskimo village. We gathered many flowers, among which the 

 yellow Arctic poppy was the most prominent, and also shot a 

 number of little auk and a few gulls and eider-ducks. Mr. 

 Peary hobbled along the beach on his crutches, around the 

 cape, and had his first view up Whale Sound and Inglefield 

 Gulf On our return to Redclifife, all the meat was hung up 

 back of the house to be used in the winter for dog-food and 

 as an occasional treat for our Eskimo family. It was a little 

 too strong for our taste, and we decided we would resort to it 

 only in case we were unsuccessful in getting deer. 



A few days after this, early in the morning, Ikwa came 

 running into our house, apparently much excited, crying, 

 "Awick ! Awick ! " This we had learned was walrus. The 

 boys tumbled out of their beds, and in a very few moments were 

 in the boat with Ikwa, pulling in the direction of a spouting 

 walrus out in McCormick Bay. In a short time they returned 

 with a large mother walrus and her baby in tow. The mother 

 had been killed, but the baby — a round bundle of fat about 

 four feet long — was alive, and very much so, as we found out a 

 little later. Mr. Peary wanted to get photographs of the little 

 thing before it was shot, and while he was dressing, a task 

 which was of necessity slow, the boys came into the house, 

 leaving the baby walrus about a hundred yards up on the 

 beach. Suddenly we heard cries for help coming from the 

 shore. On stepping to the window, I saw one of the most 

 comical sights I had ever seen. The little walrus was slowly 



