WALRUS HUNTING IN THE ARCTIC

Otago Witness, Issue 2202, 14 May 1896, Page 49

WALRUS HUNTIN G IN THE ARCTIC

REttIONS. The Eskimo way of killing a walrus" is to approach within from five to 25 yards and then throw a harpoon. If the harpoon strikes, the spear point penetrates the skin and .inks several inohes through the blubber and flesh. The harpoon handle comes loose, and the barb or head sticks in the animal. A line attached to this barb is so fastened that the harpoon bead takes a position at right angles to the cub. Thus fastened it is impossible for the walrus to escape, unless the line breaks. . . . Daring the night I was kept awake by the strange barking of the walruses. Going on deckin theearly morning, I found that the" sun had lit up many icepans, upon which walruses could be seen. After a hasty breakfast the ' boat was manned, and accompanied by Lieutenant Peary, Mathew Henaon, and the native crew, we started on our second day's sport. I Been forgot all about the ship, intent only on walrus calves. B> the aid of my glass I soon discovered a pickaninny, or baby walrus. The natives thoroughly enjoyed looking at the animals through my glass. Imagine my surprise, however, when they refused to take the boat another inch towards the walruaes. They shook their heads and pointed in another direction.- They indicated, by sticking up their fingers a number of times, and shaking their head», that there were too many walruses thera. They pointed to some distant ice-pana that had only a very few animals on them. As they were in a decided majority, I was finally compelled to agree to their wishes, and we j rowed off to the* less populated ice.-pacs. Approaching one of them, I trained ruy glass on the animals, and found a little oalf rocking itself to sleep whilo resting on the back of its mother. The natives .took tarns in looking through the glass, and the motions of the little baby seemed to delight them very muoh. " Hoona," I said to them, which means baby. They all laughed in great; glee. Then I passed around sea biscuits, and gave each membar of the crew some cartridges and a knife. Thus encouraged, I hoped they would not refuse to scull the boat up to the | ice-pan, where the baby walrus waa still rooking itself on the mother's buck. Nor was I disappointed. So I indicated my desire to go to that particular pan, which was 300 or 400 yards distant from any other pan that had walruses on it, and they bent to the oars. But the boat moved slowly, for the Eskimos were-dolng much talking and questioning among thempelves. I hoped, j however, that all this talk concerned the j biscuits, cartridges, and knives, and did not indicate fear of the walruses. I treated* tho crew with aa much good humour aa possibla, in order to encourage them. Finally, we ware within 30 yards of the animals, whan all took fright and slid off into tho water. My disappointment was bitter, and the Eskimo were not slow to see it. Presently all bpgan a deep guttural groaning and barking, in imitation of the walrus. Their effort to call the animals up to us was a great success. Very soon the walruse* came towards us, barktog and throwing up their great heads as they blew the water into the* air and tossed their white tusks from Bide to side. I stood in the bow of the boat watching for the old cow with the oalf. As they approached, the Eskimos would cease their imitation barks until the animals went under water, and then would again give the calls. Finally the walruses came up within 50 feet of our boat. I sighted the old cow with the calf, and shot. She made a short plunge, then came to the surface*, blow a great quantity of blood from her throat, and sank to the bottom. I made gestures to the rowers to pull to the spot where the cow had sunk. Tbe calf was swimming about the spot where its mother had last been seen. It plnnged down, and we waited impatiently for it to rise. When it came up to breathe it was near the boat, and one of the Eskimos struck it with his spear. The little one gave a loud bawl,- and I grabbed a harpoon and threw at it. Handing the line to one of the natives to hold, I made ready to shoot. Again the calf went down, but we knew it must soon reappear in order to breathe. Walruaes now began to come from every direction in groups of from five to 25, barking and bawling furiously as they approached. Some game bo near to the boat. that they touched it.

1 They threw quantities of water over us and I into the boat whenever they went down. The Eskimos were all on their feet shouting like Fiji Islanders, hammering on the boat, and stamping in order to scare the animals atray. There was only one thing to do, and that was to k'll. I had plenty of ammunition—about 200 oar tridges— with mo. The natives pulled at my coat, wanting me to shoot this one and that one, indicating a number of different walruses at the sama moment. I kept up a constant fire. Some of the animals would bob up at the very edge of the boat. In some cases I placed the end of my rifle against them, and a» I palled the trigger the weapon would jump back in my hands. Although the total number wus not more than 200, it seemed as if all the walruses in .the ooaan were around us. In the very height of the exoitement one of the natives tugged at me to attraot my attention. .Ha mnde gestures with his knife.to indicate that he was goiag to cut the line and let the cal£ go. I immediately pointed my rifle at him; and said " Name " '(no). He put up his knife and leMon, although I noticed thafc the tears were , running down bis cheeks. One cow came near capsizing the boat by coming up under the left side. She was badlywounded, and as she stuck her bead up I was covered with her blood and for a moment blinded. I waa fearful lest one of the animals would set his tu*k« on the gunwale of the boat and overturn it, for they were now coming up all around. It was impossible to get a chance at the calf, for as soon as it appeared an old cow would throw her tusks over it and tske it down into the water with her. This performance was repeated a number o! times. * I shot until my rifle was hot, and tha o natives shouted until j,hey were hoarne. Af it seemed impossible to keep them away by • shooting, they grabbed the gaff-hooks and j-ibbed tho animals in the heads. For an hour and a- half I had been in the most exciting and perhaps the most dangerous hunt of my life. Among the great mags of moving walruses which surrounded us, I bad noticed' ■ a number of little calves.. One, very red hx colour, was passing the bow of the boat," Without realising whatPwas doing I threw the harpoon into it. The calf, went down with a bawl, and every walrus in the entire •herd seemed to bawl simultaneously. Such, a tremendous uproar as there arose 1 All th<, natives sprar>g to their feet, and began shout* ing and pounding on the gunwale. A great' army of walruses pressed around the boat. I emptied my Winchester and down they went.- I noticed that tears were running down the cheeks of the Hkktroop, no I pointed to the oar», and they palled Tor their lives. I got a ohanoe at another calf and killed it, bat no sooner was it shot than a cow, placiug her tuska over it, took it down and actually towed tbe boat when she oame' to the end of the line. ' I kspt shouting to the Eskimos to pull, and they responded th the call, but the entire herd followed ua with a noise that was part bellow, part' bark, and. part croak. It was fearful to see them around tbe boat, with their gleaming eye* and their long, bristly whisker* and ferocious white tusks. We kept on rowing for half as hour before there occurred a chance to gel the second oalf on board. At this juncture: the herd again closed in npon us, and we bad to fight our way out again. This time we c<tme nearer being capsized than before; for jast as we were beginning to" pull thf oalf into the boat ac old walrus tried to get her tuaka over the body. I stuck my Winchester in her mouth and she disappeared. As soon as the oalf was in the boat the crew ■ set to work vigorously at the oars, but the herd continued to follow us, and only after half an hour's hard work did we escape.-— Cosmopolitan.