152 INGENIOUS HARPOON. 



new harpoon which he had on board. I did not 

 see it, but from his description it seemed to be 

 a most ingenious implement, and was invented 

 and constructed by the blacksmith in Hammer- 

 fest. It seems the harpoon is intended to be 

 struck into the whale wdth the barbs only 

 very little exposed ; but the slightest pull or 

 strain upon the line explodes some fulminating 

 mercury in the weapon, and this throws out 

 two barbs much larger than can be readily 

 driven into the animal by hand ; and it is thus 

 expected that the chance of losing a fish by 

 the harpoon " drawing " w^ould be very much 

 lessened. The skyppar seemed to have a good 

 deal of confidence in it, but he had not as yet 

 had any opportunity of testing it. 



rifthly. He had killed ten walruses last night, 

 and all by " jaging " them in the water, as they 

 have been so much persecuted lately on this 

 part of the coast that they will hardly sit 

 on the ice at aU. He strongly condemns, in 

 theory, the practice of shooting at walruses, but 

 admits that he is at a great disadvantage from 

 the want of a gun, as everybody else is shoot- 

 ing ; and he says that when one ship shoots, all 

 the others in the vicinity are partially compelled 

 to follow suit, but that many more walruses 



