VOYAGE TO GREENLAND. 
87 
fall asleep, with the exception of one who is ap- 
pointed to watch; he however frequently doses, 
and at such times they may be easily approached 
and killed. The mothers invariably provide for 
the safety of their young, in preference to their 
own, by plunging them into the sea, even when 
themselves are badly wounded. A striking instance 
of the affection of a young walrus towards its 
mother, was related to me : the little animal on see- 
ing its parent killed, became so exasperated, that 
it singly attacked the boat, and tholigh repeatedly 
wounded, would not desist, but crawled upon the 
ice after the men, till a lance entered its heart, and 
terminated its existence. 
We now rowed in pursuit of a whale that came up 
to blow, but after it had gracefully waved its majestic 
tail, it descended before we were near enough to 
commence a combat ; in hopes of its return, we 
waited about half an hour near a large piece of 
ice, from under which two other whales made their 
appearance, but were too shy to let us approach 
them. After rowing about for some time, we re- 
turned to the ship; when another whale being seen, 
I went in the boat, in which I had been during the 
morning, as I was determined neither to take my 
harpoon-gun, nor to go with the man appointed to 
the gun-boat. We were ordered to proceed beyond 
a point of ice, belonging to an extensive field up- 
wards of a mile from the ship : as we were going 
to our destination, we heard the blast of a whale 
among the ice ; presently it was repeated, and about 
