41 6 FARTHEST NORTH 



shot ; but as they were comparatively small we thought 

 that a bullet in the middle of the forehead mio-ht be 

 enough for them, and at last we fired. They started up, 

 however, and turned over, half stunned, into the water, 

 Then there was a commotion ! The whole herd quickly 

 raised their ugly heads, glared at us, and one by one 

 plunged out over the edge of the ice. We had hastily 

 loaded asjain, and as it w^as not difficult now to ijet a 

 good shot we fired, and there lay two animals, one young 

 and one old. Most of the others dived, only one re- 

 maining quietly lying, and looking wonderingly, now 

 at its two dead companions, and now at us as we 

 came up to it. We did not quite know what to do ; 

 we thought that the two that were now lying there 

 would give us more than enough to do, but neverthe- 

 less it was tempting to take this great monster as 

 well, while we were about it. While Johansen was 

 standinir with -his Q:un, considerins: whether he should 

 fire or not, I took the opportunity of photographing 

 both him and the walrus. It ended, however, in our 

 letting it go unharmed ; we did not think we could 

 afford to sacrifice more cartridges upon it. Meantime 

 the water beyond was seething with furirus animals, as 

 they broke up the ice round about and filled the air 

 with their roaring. The big bull himself seemed espe- 

 cially anxious to get at us ; he kept returning to the 

 edge of the ice, getting half up on to it to grunt and bel- 

 low at us and look lono- at his dead comrades, whom he 



