AGED BrLL-WALRTJS. 179 



looking about him all tlie time with the 

 most comical air of inquisitiveness. He was 

 evidently searching for a road to the shore, 

 but not finding any, he took advantage of a 

 moment when nobody happened to be looking, 

 and getting over the taifrail into the little boat 

 hung up astern, he slipped into the water and 

 made play for the shore, distant about ten 

 miles. A boat being lowered, he was soon 

 overtaken and recaptured, but not without a 

 most energetic resistance on his part. 



On the 8th we came in sight of some 

 streams of drift-ice, and seeing what appeared 

 to be a seal asleep on one piece, I went off in a 

 boat to kill him. On approaching nearer him, 

 however, we discovered him to be a solitary 

 old bull-walrus : he lay sound asleep on a 

 piece of ice which sloped very much from one 

 side to the other. We were obliged to ap- 

 proach him at the loAver side, in order to ob- 

 tain the advantage of the wind, and on getting 

 to fifteen yards' distance, he heard us, and 

 lazily awaking, raised his head and pre- 

 pared to absquatulate : he was a moment 

 or so too late, however, for I shot him 

 through the head, and he sunk dead on the 

 ice, and then, in the most graceful and con- 



N 2 



