140 KILL EIGHT. 



most agreeable and exciting cliasse : tlie water 

 swarmed with walruses, and in about three 

 hours we had secured eight, besides two which 

 sank. All of these were either shot dead or 

 so stupefied with shots on the head that they 

 allowed the harpooners to strike them. One 

 I killed by firing up his nostrils as he faced the 

 boat, at about eight yards' distance. 



This herd were mostly cows and indifferent 

 young bulls ; but amongst them I noticed one 

 enormous old grey bull, who looked as thick 

 as a sugar hogshead, and was by far the largest 

 walrus I had yet seen ; this monster came up 

 snorting several times within nine or ten yards 

 while we were fast to two others, but he was 

 too wary to allow himself to be harpooned, and 

 if I had shot him at that time, he would 

 certainly have sunk before we could have got 

 hold of him. These old bulls are always very 

 light coloured, from being nearly devoid of 

 hair ; their skins are rough and rugose, like 

 that of a rhinoceros, and they are generally 

 quite covered with scars and wounds, inflicted 

 by harpoons, lances, and bullets, which they 

 have escaped from, as well as by the tusks of 

 one another in fights amongst themselves. I 

 have frequently observed them fighting with 



