Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1885-06-24
HUNTING THE SEA HORSE.
An Interesting Account OF the Excit.
ing sport in IzudsOn.s Fay.

ing sport i'm EzusisOn's Fay.
LIEUT.. sCHwATKA DESCRIBES THE wALRCs
AND HIS HACNTS IN NORTHERN WATERS
now THE EsoUIMAUx HARPooN AND SHOOT
THEIR GAME-CUrTiNG UP A wALRUs-oIL
FOR ILLUMINATION AND FOOD FOR MAN AND
BEAsr-DIErARY QUALITIES OF BLUBBER.
From the New York World
''In We olden time nearly everything that
was named within the sea or that crawled out
therefrom received its name from some counter
part on the land, fancied resemblance, no
doubt, leading thereto. The sea leopard was
spotted like the leopard of the land; the ele-
plant had a heightened proboscis that required
nogreat stretch of the imagination to suggest the
trunk of the great qu.druped: the sea serpents
analogy is at once evident, while sea-anemones
and so on, show that even the vegetable king
dom was called into requisition to help fill out.
Just why the walrus was called the sea horse
was never quite evident, however, and the
analogy seems foggy in the extreme, unless the
two great villainouS tusks look like the bit in
his mouth. possibly the horse was the only
familiar animal not yet given q namesake in the
briny deep when the walrus was first brought
to the Knowledge of the civilized world and
simiarites did not enter into the consideration.
The very first Esquimaux among whom my
fortunes and miSfOrtuneS were cast had the usual
tribal names. Astounding in ks, DIS, and gs, that
sounded "a musical brOgans going down
stairs and one of which; translated meant
tine warus tribe, or probably little bit
better wariu--eating tribe, that animal being
their chief source of srlsteEance. From their
narratives of the chase after their daily food
and the few captures saw myself the follow
ing accounts are in greater part written. Early
August, 1873, saw US landing in North Hud-
son Bay, the ice having disappeared from
the water on both the lakes and the sea. About
ten miles to the eastward of our camp was a
small isolated Stand in the center of a circle
with radius of the length given the northern
half of whose circumference would about de-
fine the shores OF the bay on the western bound
of Esquimaux. 1t was an insignificant looking
affair, covering half an acre, or less, but quite
prominent from being the only island in such
conspicuous place.
HERE THE wALRUs CoNGREGATED
In large numbers when there were no cakes of
ice on which they could crawl, and here the
Esqumaux repaired to hunt them. The wal
rus mostly spread themselves over the southern
slope, probably to catch the warm sunshine or
because the incline was not steep on the
northern half \ walrus hunting party of
Junuits, as the Esquimaux call themselves.
may be anything from two to three to that
many dozen, although six to ten Is a fair sam
pie. They take their large sealskin scows, or
OOnaiens holding score of these people, should
the party be large, or white mans whaleboat
If handy, and with three or four small skin
MISUNDERSTANDING about forty or fifty
pounds apiece they repair to the northern half
of the island, their weapons being guns, lances,
harpOons, lines and floats. They always try to
select fine, clear day, with but little sea at the
time; in fact, If very rough they never attempt
one of these hunts and their greatest fear is that
storm may arise while they are engaged in 1T,
cut it up and return requires the greater part of
q day, and the summer day of North HudsOn'S
Bay Is a generous allOpathic one of many hours,
followed by very homeopathic Eight. Unless
very quiet they never essay the passage In their
oo'nieils, but will risk much more in the whale
manage We the whe Ss ang
party nearing the island, all conversation is
stopped or dropped to necessary whispers, the
oars are piled as if they were mufied. and all
movements are done as silently as possible, for
the walrus has an acute ear, although it is very
small. Having completed the landing noise
lessly their weapons are made ready.
THE FIRST WEAPON USED ON THE ANIMAL
Is the harpoOn. 1t is similar to the harpoon of
the whalers, which has been probably Dor
rowed from it and adapted to civilized uses. 1t
is about six feet long, with a barbed spear point
or head which, driven beneath the tough skin
of the walrus, the barb turns and in doing so
becomes detached from the handle, which is
on land or in the water where it is struck. At
tached to this barb or head is strong, supple
line of tanned sealskin about twenty or thirty
feet long, about the size of rope called "clothes
line" and three or four times as strong. This
is wound around the natives neck when he has
the walrus spear in his hand. At the other
end is a large inflated sealskin float about the
size of a ten-gallon keg, or probably little
larger. This is sometimes allowed to hang over
the hunters back-fOr 1t weighs little or moth
ing-or n companion, generally boy, may hold
1t tor him walking behind him as he steals on
ins stone or hiiiocK of Sand IS iaken ad
vantage OF in getting as near as possible
to the clumsy monsters, and when the line of
hunters, six or seven in number, are as close as
they can crawl without showing themselves or
attracting attention, q signal Is given by one, q
loud shout of sI-yi-yi!' and with three or four
nimble bounds forward the hunters are each
within striking distance of the selected walrus,
and, burying the spear head in the animals
line from around their head with ligtning-like
rapidity as the huge brute descends the steep
slope. and when its end is reached they throw
the light float high in the air with a merry
"Ah-nyah!' equivalent to our slang ''go itr' and
possibly it may not strike the ground at all, so
swift is the walrus escaping, or if it does it is
with a bound that sends it clear into the sea
just as the object at the other end of the line
goes into it too with splash that can only be
made by ton OF tough meat striking an in
coming breaker.
A RUSH OF THE HERD INTO THE SEA
Is something very exciting, as they go rolling
and jumping, snorting and blowing to the
water. Their gait is a series of spasmodic jumps
that would hardly equal the speed of the dol
the steep incline, which makes these jumps
quite effective in reaching their refuge. Some
of the hunters, If there be many, may have
taken a shot or two or q jab with q sharp lance
at those unfortunate ones so near that they
were selected to be harpOoned. There Is but
unless a shot should be immediately fatal. as
through the head or neck, the animals escape
and die in the water, while every shot or
wound that materially diSables one that Is
attached to a float increases the chances of Sc
curing il after it has gotten in the water. Some
times tne InctHOQ Oh giving the signal where
there are many hunters is a vOlley from the
guns, and should any drop with fatal shot
they are passed by the harpOon mer and
another selected to spear; but if only wounded
the spear is thrust into 1t. AS soon as the herd
has gained the water the hunters rush for their
kiakS and boats in which to pursue the walruS
especially those that are swimming away
with the floats. their arms being the guns and
lanceS. When aSpeared wal:u> gains the water
he at once dives, carrying the float down with
MIN out OF sight, but after two or three minutes
the float hobs up about hundred yards away
and a second or two after is followed by the
animal coming to the surface to breathe which
he does with loud puffS and snorts "blowing"
water into the air like small whale. II again
frightened by The near approach OF his enemies
he takes two or three gasps of breath and goes
down again, 10 reappear a trifie sooner than be-
fore, for il is herculean work 10 keep the float
down with him under water. II severely
pressed, that i fired at every time his head an
pears. or thrust at with q lance, he gets buf
little breathing time above, and after the float
each interval less. the nearly exhausted wal
rus ceases to drag it under with him, and when
he
DIVES TO ESCAPE HIS ToRMENrOEs
he simply draws it along the surface like a
small fish with large cork. AS soon as the
hunters have gained their canoes and boats
away they scurry after the speared walrus and
the second one bobs his head above water a
shot from gun, or a lance thrust If he be near
greets his appearance. Occasionally one of these
shots, IL we'll aimed, may settle the tragedy at
once, and the hunter paddles to the .lOat and
seizes III to avoid losing his prey. They generally
secure them. however, when nearly exhausted
the float dragging on the surface of the water
and the animal coming frequently to the ton
trying to get a breath or two of air. Sometimes
the haTpoOn barb is not well inserted under the
skin and pulls out before the animal is caught