222 FARTHEST NORTH 



sight; but I laid my gun to my shoulder and fired at 

 one of the biggest heads. The animal staggered, and 

 then fell head foremost into the water. Now a ball into 

 another head ; this creature fell too, but was able to fling 

 itself into the sea. And now the whole herd dashed in, 

 and we as well as they were hidden in spray. It had all 

 happened in a few seconds. But up they came again 

 immediately round the boat, the one head bigger and 

 uglier than the other, their young ones close beside them. 

 They stood up in the water, bellowed and roared till the 

 air trembled, threw themselves forward towards us, then 

 rose up again, and new bellowings filled the air. Then 

 they rolled over and disappeared with a splash, then 

 bobbed up again. The water foamed and boiled for 

 yards around — the ice-world that had been so still before 

 seemed in a moment to have been transformed into a 

 raging bedlam. Any moment we might expect to have 

 a walrus tusk or two through the boat, or to be heaved 

 up and capsized. Something of this kind was the very 

 least that could happen after such a terrible commotion. 

 But the hurly-burly went on and nothing came of it. I 

 again picked out my victims. They went on bellowing 

 and grunting like the others, but with blood streaming 

 from their mouths and noses. Another ball, and one 

 tumbled over and floated on the water ; now a ball to 

 the second, and it did the same. Henriksen was ready 

 with the harpoons, and secured them both. One more 

 was shot ; but we had no more harpoons, and had to 



