David goes to Greenland

by David Binney Putnam

At about six-thirty in the evening of August 16th a little way off Northumberland Island we saw a herd of walrus. They were moving along in the water quite fast, diving now and then and rising up a lot like porpoises. They get their food from the bottom mostly, eating clams and things like that.

By the way, Captain Bob does a lot of dredging—that is, we drag a sort of net along the bottom to bring up the sea life there—and here in Whale Sound his hauls are the richest yet. There are clams and great numbers of shrimp. Which of course is why the walrus like it here.

In a few minutes the Eskimos were in [[117]]their kayaks and out after them. It was very interesting to watch. One Eskimo would go ahead of the herd and make a lot of noise to attract their attention. Then the other hunter would come in behind very slowly and quietly and try to get within perhaps a dozen feet and then throw his harpoon with all his force into the walrus. There would be a very loud puff, like steam escaping, as he took breath and then a flip of his tail and he would disappear. The man in the kayak would back off quickly so the walrus wouldn’t come up under him. Then they would watch the float, which is an inflated sealskin, attached to the end of the harpoon line to see which way the harpooned walrus would go.

As the float moved off, or was drawn under water by the diving animal, they would follow. It was all very dangerous, and many Eskimos are hurt and killed when angry walrus turn on their frail little boats which one toss of a walrus’ tusks would smash to bits. [[118]]In attacking the walrus lifts his head and comes down on the thing he is attacking with the end of his sharp tusks, ripping things terribly. I saw them attack several floats that way.

Pooadloona Throws His Harpoon at a Walrus.

When the walrus came up, and the men could get close, the same sort of performance was gone through with again. Only this time they would try to get close with their lance, to stick it into the animal to kill him. The other animals in the herd often would stay close to the wounded one, barking and roaring something like a cow mooing, and puffing and blowing water. It is very noisy and very exciting. When the others come close, the Eskimos would bang their paddles on the paddle rest in front of them and yell, to scare off the other walrus who otherwise might attack them. Sometimes when scaring the walrus away they get within three or four feet of them.

In a short time there were four walrus [[119]]harpooned, three of them lanced and dead and ready to be picked up by the Morrissey. We had the launch fast to one of them that was only wounded. We did not want to shoot him, as he had a fine head and the bullet is apt to break the bone structure and hurt it for use as a specimen.

Art, Dad and Captain Bob went out in the launch to get him. The Captain wanted to lance him, himself. He told Art to do the shooting with his bow and arrows. Art shot at him seven times, all striking in the neck. He was bleeding badly and getting pretty mad. He would have died from the arrows, but they wanted to finish him as quickly as possible.

He pulled so hard that he turned the Morrissey around. He was fast to the ship by a native line made of the hide of the bearded seal, or ugsug. Its wonderful strength is shown by its power to pull the vessel about.