LAND AT LAST 365 



round our floe, where we made the best of the situation 

 by having dinner. Sometimes it was near Joliansen's 

 kayak, sometimes near mine. We could see how it 

 darted about in the water under the kayaks, and it had 

 evidently the greatest desire to attack us again. We 

 thought of giving it a ball to get rid of it, but had no 

 great wish to part with a cartridge, and, besides, it only 

 showed us its nose and forehead, which are not exactly 

 the most vital spots to aim at when one's object is to 

 kill with one shot. It was a great ox- walrus. There 

 is something remarkably fantastic and prehistoric about 

 these monsters. I could not help thinking of a merman, 

 or something of the kind, as it lay there just under the 

 surface of the water, blowing and snorting for quite a 

 long while at a time, and glaring at us with its round 

 glassy eyes. After having continued in this way for 

 some time, it disappeared just as tracklessly as it had 

 come ; and as we had finished our dinner we were able 

 to go on our way again, glad, a second time, not to have 

 been upset or destroyed by its tusks. The most curious 

 thing about it was that it came so entirely without warn- 

 ing — suddenly rising up from the deep. Johansen had 

 certainly heard a great splash behind him some time be- 

 fore, which he took to be a seal, but perhaps it may have 

 been the walrus. 



" The lane alons^ the shore-ice orave us little satisfac- 

 tion, as it was completely covered with young ice and we 

 could make no way. In addition to this, a wind from the 



