y cold, and the
walrus had perished in consequence of its ambitious desire to repose in
the regions above.

Not far from the spot where this fortunate discovery had been made,
there was a large sheet of recently-formed black ice, where the main ice
had been broken away and the open water left. The sheet, although much
melted by the thaw, was still about three inches thick, and quite
capable of supporting a man. While Annatock was working with his back
to this ice, he heard a tremendous crash take place behind him. Turning
hastily round, he observed that the noise was caused by another enormous
walrus, the glance of whose large round eyes and whose loud snort showed
clearly enough that he was not frozen like his unfortunate companion.
By this time the little boy had come up with Edith and the sledge. So
Annatock ordered him to take the dogs behind a hummock to keep them out
of sight, while he selected several strong harpoons and a lance from the
sledge. Giving another lance to Peetoot, he signed to Edith to sit on
the hummock while he attacked the grisly monster of the deep.

While these preparations were being made, the walrus dived; and while it
was under water, the man and the boy ran quickly forward a short
distance, and then lay down behind a lump of ice. Scarcely had they
done so when the walrus came up again with a loud snort, splashing the
water with its broad, heavy flippers--which seemed a sort of compromise
between legs and fins--and dashing waves over the ice as it rolled about
its large, unwieldy carcass. It was truly a savage-looking monster, as
large as a small elephant, and having two tusks of a foot and a half
long. The face bore a horrible resemblance to that of a man. Its crown
was round and bulging, its face broad and massive, and a thick,
bristling moustache--rough as the spines of a porcupine--covered its
upper lip, and depended in a shaggy dripping mass over its mouth. After
spluttering about a short time it dived again.

Now was Annatock's time. Seizing a harpoon and a coil of line, he
muttered a few words to the boy, sprang up, and running out upon the
smooth ice, stood by the edge of the open water. He had not waited here
more than a few seconds when the black waters were cleft by the blacker
head of the monster, as it once more ascended to renew its elephantine
gambols in the pool. As it rose, the Esquimau threw up his arm and
poised the harpoon. For one instant the surprised an