INTO THE ARCTIC 193 



immense herd. The shore was crowded with 

 giant bulks, lying perfectly still in the sun, while 

 the waters close to land were alive with bobbing 

 heads. At a distance and at first glance, those 

 on shore looked like a vast herd of cattle resting 

 after grazing. They were as big as oxen and 

 when the sun had dried them, they were of a 

 pronounced reddish color. Those in the water 

 looked black. 



They had a way of sticking their heads and 

 necks straight up out of the sea which was 

 slightly suggestive of men treading water. 

 Their heads seemed small for their great bodies 

 and with their big eyes, their beard-like mass of 

 thick bristles about the nose, and their long 

 ivory tusks they had a distinctly human look 

 despite their grotesque ugliness. They lifted 

 their multitudinous voices in gruff, barking roars 

 like so many bulldogs affected with a cold. 

 There must have been 10,000 of them. They 

 paid little attention to the ship. Those on shore 

 remained as motionless as boulders. 



" Want to collect a little ivory? " Captain 

 Shorey said with a smile to Mr. Winchester. 



