156 ACROSS THE SUB-ARCTICS OF CANAD: 
but more commonly they are in small herds. When 
feeding they remain in about the same place, but can 
stay under water for only about three minutes at a time. 
They come to the surface to breathe, sport about for a 
short. time, then go down to the bottom and dig clams 
from the sand for some three minutes, and then rise 
again to the surface. The Eskimo, taking advantage 
of their necessity, advances on them only when they 
are busily occupied at the bottom of the sea. When a 
walrus reappears .at the surface, the hunter, who, with 
harpoon in hand and line attached to float, awaits its 
return, hurls his harpoon with great force and precision, 
burying it deeply in the walrus’s flesh. 
The wounded monster, maddened by pain, plunges 
into the water, dives to the bottom, and endeavors to 
escape. The plunging readily causes the ball-and-socket 
joint of the harpoon to give, and this allows the head of 
the harpoon, which is buried in the animal, to become 
detached and form a button on the end of the harpoon 
line. 
The detached handle floats upon the water, but the 
line is securely fastened to the body of the walrus, which, 
in trying to escape, takes with him the line and attached 
inflated seal-skin; but though he may take this buoy 
under, and keep it down for a short time, he cannot do 
so long. 
Soon it reappears at the surface, and the hunter seeing 
it, makes for the spot, and awaits the returning walrus. 
The moment his head appears, harpoon or lance are 
hurled at it as before, and unless with fatal results, the 
same manceuvres are repeated. In this way often two 
or three harpoon lines and floats are attached to one 
