82 TRAVEL, ADVENTURE, AND SPORT. 



where near the large walrus-boats propelled by the 

 strong arms of their excited crews. Following them 

 towards the entrance of the harbour, we arrived some 

 time after they had got to work, and found that they 

 had, by careful driving, succeeded in forcing the 

 whales into a bight on the north side of the anchor- 

 age, and were now hastily spreading a large strong 

 net across the entrance to it. The net was only 

 ten feet deep, floating by means of wooden chocks, 

 so that its upper edge came within a few feet of 

 the surface. The depth of the water being many 

 fathoms more than that of the net, we now made 

 sure that the whales would easily escape underneath 

 them, and watched the proceedings with keen in- 

 terest, joining in the sport as occasion offered, by 

 pulling towards any point where we perceived that 

 assistance was needed. ^No sooner was the net 

 stretched across than we saw occasional jets of 

 feathery spray, and then white-looking objects turn- 

 ing leisurely over in the water. I had seen these 

 white' objects vaguely for some time ; but so slowly 

 did they turn, and so similar were they in colour 

 to the many blocks of floating ice, that it was some 

 time before I realised the fact that these were the 

 whales. The boats now again began driving the 

 whales towards an indentation in the coast of the 

 small bight which they had already guarded by the 

 net, beating on the gunwales with stretchers or oars, 

 and pulling lustily towards any point which seemed 



