THE WALRUS. I47 



twice the size of the well one, and covered with purple 

 spots. I asked them how they spent their time in the 

 winter, and they said : " Oh, we get a stick of firewood " 

 — and it is not much more. But a single deer was shot 

 here last winter by these thriftless people, while the Es- 

 kimo, who came down from "the nor'ard" in their dog- 

 sledges, shot fifteen. 



The walrus at times appears as far south as this harbor, 

 one having been shot about fifteen years ago. It evi- 

 dently made an impression on the minds of the " long- 

 shoremen," as the circumstances of its appearance were 

 treasured up for years after. It lifted its head above the 

 water near a boat with a .single man in it, who was nearly 

 frightened out of his wits, as he " thought it was the 

 devil." His web-footed majesty sank beneath the waves 

 to reappear to the same man three-quarters of a mile 

 away, who was not too much terrified to throw as a 

 peace-offering to the monster a herring, which it swal- 

 lowed and then disappeared. 



By daylight this morning the ice began to come into 

 our snug little harbor, brought in by an east wind ; it 

 drifted in during the day, completely surrounding the few 

 vessels at anchor ; though it was a warm, pleasant day, 

 and the thermometer was 70° at noon, by night it grew 

 cold, reaching 39". The ice often comes in through the 

 narrow "tickles," and becoming imprisoned, remains 

 until a strong west wind blows it out. In this way large 

 icebergs frequently come in, as the tickles are about thirty 

 fathoms deep, there being no friendly bars at the en- 

 trance to detain these unwelcome visitors. On one oc- 

 casion, a Saturday night, as a man told me, an iceberg " as 

 tall as a steeple" floated in as if to make a safe harbor. 



