Arctic Adventures
Page 4
the fulmarof the north may be likened to the albatross of the southern hemisphere.Why the fulmar is called molly I could not learn. Sandy assured methat many sailors believe the birds to be animated by the spirits of theancient Greenland skippers.
"For because, do ye see," he remarked, "the mollies have as great aliking for blubber as those old fellows had."
The fulmars having gorged themselves flew away towards the nearest iceto the northward, in which direction we now steered, the captain havingabandoned all hope of recovering the lost whales. Scarcely had we gotthe blubber stowed away than it again began to blow hard, but we werestill able to steer northward, a constant look-out being kept for theice.
We were standing on when I heard "Hard to starboard," shouted, and onlooking ahead I saw a huge mass of ice, of fantastic shape, rising outof the water, of sufficient size, had we touched it and caused it tooverturn, to have crushed the ship. Scraping by we found ourselvesalmost immediately afterwards surrounded by countless masses, differinggreatly in size, most of them being loose drift-ice. Our stout ship,however, still continued her course, avoiding some masses and turningoff other pieces from her well-protected bows. Every mile we advanced,the ice was becoming thicker. Still on we went, threading our waythrough the heaving masses. At length, above the ceaseless splashingsound, a roar increasing in loudness struck our ears. It was the oceanbeating on the still fixed ice, and ever and anon hurling fragmentsagainst it with the force of battering rams.
"The sea is doing us good service," observed the mate, "for it willbreak up the floes."
It seemed to me much more likely that the ship would be dashed topieces. When, however, the fixed ice could be seen from the crow'snest, we hove to, to wait for calmer weather. There we lay, tossedabout with the huge slabs and masses of ice grinding together or rollingover each other around us, and threatening every moment to come crashingdown on our deck, while reiterated blows came thundering against oursides.
Night came on, and shortly afterwards the snow began to fall thickly,covering our deck, while from one side of the heavens the full moonburst forth from amid the clouds, lighting up the scene, increasingrather than diminishing its horrors. The snow circled in thick eddiesround us, the sea foamed and raged, and masses of ice in the wildestmotion were swept by; the timbers strained and creaked, while the shipshook under the reiterated shocks, sufficient it seemed to rend her intofragments, but the ice which had collected round her prevented herdestruction.
Ewen and I occasionally went on deck, for to sleep was impossible. "Areyou sorry you came to sea?" I asked.
"No," he answered, "I wanted to know what a storm was like, and now Ishall be satisfied, but I shall be glad when it's calm again."
When I awoke a change had come over the scene. I went on deck, aperfect calm prevailed. All round us were piles of ice. The blocksarid masses which stood out against the sky were cast into shades, whilethe level floes sparkled like silver in the rising sun. Far away to thesouthward we could still see the ocean heaving slowly. In a short time,however, leads between the bergs and floes opened out, the water beingof the colour of lead. All hands were called up to make sail, and westood on forcing our way between the floes, until open water wasreached, though in every direction lofty icebergs and extensive floeswere still to be seen. Many of the bergs were of the most fantasticform and brilliant colours. Some had arches of vast size, otherscaverns worn in them within which the ice appeared of the brightest blueand green, curtained with glittering icicles, all without being ofstainless white.
I should fill up the whole of my journal were I to attempt to describeall the wonders and beauties of the Arctic regions.
Our object, when whales were not to be met with, was to kill walruses,and for this purpose our boats were provided with the necessary gear.We had in each boat six harpoon-heads, and four shafts of white pine.Each harpoon had fastened to its reck one end of a line, twelve orfifteen fathoms long, the line being coiled away in its proper box. Itis not necessary to have longer lines, because the walrus does notfrequent water more than fifteen fathoms deep, and even should the waterexceed that depth, owing to the pressure above him he is unable to exerthis full strength.
Besides these harpoons, we had four lances nine feet in length, to whichthe iron barbed heads were strongly fixed. As we were approaching theice, we caught sight of two hundred black heads, at least, swimmingrapidly along. They were morse, or walruses, and Andrew declared hadgot young with them who would retard their progress. Three boats wereinstantly lowered with their proper gear. I went with Sandy, who was anexperienced walrus-hunter, and at once took the lead. We made the boatfly through the water, while ahead was the herd of walruses bellowing,snorting, blowing, and splashing. The herd kept close together, nowdiving, now reappearing simultaneously. One moment we saw their grizzlyheads and long gleaming white tusks above the water, then they gave aspout and took a breath of fresh air, and the next moment their brownbacks and huge flippers were to be seen and the whole herd were down.Sandy stood up in the bows with his harpoon ready for a dart. In a fewseconds up again came the walruses, and we were in their midst. Theharpoon flew from Sandy's hand deep into the body of the nearest walrus.He then seized another harpoon and darted it into a "junger" which cameswimming incautiously by. Its mother, hearing its plaintive cry, rushedtowards us with her formidable tusks, endeavouring to recover it; butbefore she had time to dig them in the side of the boat a shot from oneof our guns and a plunge from Sandy's spear had terminated herexistence. The "junger," which was only slightly wounded, uttered awhimpering bark, when a score or more of walruses swam fiercely towardsus, rearing their heads out of the water, snorting and blowing, ready totear the boat to fragments. Several were killed before the calf hadceased its cries, when they prudently retired to a distance to escapeour bullets and the thrusts from our spears. We had secured sixwalruses; for, though others were wounded they sank.
So well satisfied was the captain with the result of our chase, that,soon after the blubber and skins had been stowed away, he ordered thetwo boats to be prepared for another chase. Andrew, who wished to seethe sport, went in the boatswain's boat, and Ewen got leave to accompanyus, he being now able to pull an oar well.
We could see the land to the westward, and, by keeping as close to it asthe ice would allow, we hoped to fall in with plenty of game. Weaccordingly pulled away to the west where the sea was tolerably open.Our wish was to find the animals asleep on the ice where they could bemore easily attacked and secured than in the water in which they havethe means of exerting their great strength to the uttermost, whereas onthe ice they were at our mercy.
The days were now increasing in length so much that we often forgot howmany hours we had been out. Though the Arctic summer was approachingthe weather continued uncertain. We had killed two ordinary-sizedwalruses, when a third, an enormous fellow, was seen sleeping not farfrom the edge of the floe. We approached cautiously, hoping to killhim, or at all events to get a harpoon well secured in his body. Oncehe lifted up his head and winked an eye, but did not appear to apprehenddanger. With bated breaths we urged the boat slowly forward. Mybrother fired and the bullet went crashing into the animal's head. Nextinstant Sandy, leaping out, drove his harpoon into its body. It wasfortunate that he succeeded in doing this, as the walrus by a violenteffort rolled itself over into the water rapidly carrying out the line,the end of which was secured to the bollard.
Sandy had barely time to leap back into the boat, when away we went,towed by the walrus, the bow pressed down in a way which threatened todrag it under water. Sandy stood ready, axe in hand, to cut the line tosave us from such a catastrophe. Suddenly the line slackened. Thewalrus dived and shortly afterwards came up again.
My brother fired and missed. The animal disappeared. We felt far fromeasy, for we knew that there was a great chance of its rising directlyunder the boat which it might too possibly capsize, or it might tear outa plank with its formidable tusks, when it would follow up
theproceeding by attacking us as we struggled in the water. Happily,however, exhausted by the wounds it had received, it rose a shortdistance ahead, when a thrust from Andrew's spear finished its career.We hauled it up on the ice by means of the tackles we carried for thepurpose, to denude the huge body of the skin and blubber.
We were so busily engaged in the operation, that we did not perceive theapproach of a thick fog which quickly enveloped us, while the wind beganto blow directly on the ice. It became important therefore to get agood offing to avoid the risk of the boat being dashed to pieces. Wenow steered in the direction we supposed the ship to lie, but as wecould not see fifty fathoms ahead we knew well that we were very likelyto miss her. The wind increased and the sea, getting up, threatenedevery instant to swamp the boat.
"It must be done," cried Sandy; "heave overboard the blubber and