194 A YEAR WITH A WHALER 



" No, thank you, not just now," replied the 

 mate. "I want to live to get back to 

 'Frisco." 



An ivory hunter among those tusked thou- 

 sands doubtless would have fared disastrously. 

 Walrus are famous fighters. When attacked, 

 they sometimes upset a boat with their tusks 

 and drown the hunters. They are dangerous 

 even in small herds. Moreover they are difficult 

 to kill. Their thick hides will turn a bullet 

 that does not hit them solidly. Though slow 

 and unwieldy on land or ice, they are surpris- 

 ingly agile in the water and a harpooned walrus 

 will frequently tow a boat at a dizzy clip. 



The region about Cape Prince of Wales is a 

 favorite feeding ground for the animals. The 

 coasts swarm with clams, mussels, and other 

 shell-fish upon which the walrus live. Thirteen 

 varieties of edible clams, it is said, have been dis- 

 covered by scientists about Cape Prince of 

 Wales. The walrus dig these shell-fish out of 

 the sand and rocks with their tusks, crush them 

 with their teeth, eject the shells, and swallow 

 the dainty tidbits. Their tusks serve them also 



