634 APPENDIX 



got within a short distance of him he took alarm, and swam out 

 into the large channel, where he remained rolling about, turning 

 over on his back for some four or five minutes at a time with his 

 head above water, puffing away, and positively jeering at us. 

 When at length we had wearily worked our way back again to the 

 large channel, intending to assist him a little in his performances 

 — pop, away he went. 



Some days later we again received a visit from a troupe of 

 these comedians in another channel newly formed in close prox- 

 imity to the vessel. Three of them had long, heavy tusks, 

 which they showed high above the water, and then used to 

 scratch their female friends on the back with. We immediately 

 prepared ourselves with rifles and harpoons, and ran towards the 

 channel as fast as our legs would carry us. But before we got 

 there the beasts had fled. It was of no use trying to get within 

 range of these shy creatures, so, after that, as a rule, we allowed 

 them to remain unmolested. 



Once, however, during the spring of 1896, we were near 

 catching a narwhal. I had been out fowling, and was just busily 

 taking out of the boat the birds 1 had shot, when suddenly a 

 narwhal appeared in the channel close to our usual landing- 

 place, where the harpoon with the line attached lay ready for 

 immediate use. I quickly seized the harpoon, but the coil of 

 line was too short, and when I had got this right the whale dived 

 below the water, just as I was ready to harpoon him. 



An occasional large seal {Phoca barbata) also appeared at this 

 time; we chased them sometimes, but without success ; they were 

 too shy. 



With the fowling our luck was better, and so early as June 

 7th we shot so many black guillemots, gulls, fulmars, and little 

 auks that we partook on that day of our first meal of fresh meat 

 during the year. The flesh of these birds is not, as a rule, valued 

 very much, but we ate it with ravenous appetites, and found that 

 it had an excellent flavor— better than the tenderest young 

 ptarmigan. 



One day three gulls appeared, and settled down at some dis- 

 tance from the vessel. Pettersen fired twice at them and missed. 



