Chapter 25. The Walrus' Foe

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_ CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE. THE WALRUS' FOE

To stalk or crawl up to an animal within shooting distance upon a level prairie, where there is no sign of bush or tree, not so much as a big clump of grass, is a difficult task which it takes a Red Indian to achieve, with his peculiar powers of creeping along the ground almost like a caterpillar, moving, as it were, upon his crooked fingers and his toes; but out upon a rocky shore, among piled-up masses of ice, many of them big enough to hide a couple of hundred men, the stalking appeared to be simplicity itself, and the three bearers of firearms stepped jauntily along toward the walrus herd, screening themselves behind the masses of ice with more than one slip and stumble.

The scene was brilliant in the extreme, with the sun's rays darting from the broken fragments so lately deposited by the ice pressure, which was all that remained of the terrible convulsion of nature in which the expedition so nearly came to utter destruction. Saving the cries of the sea-birds and the ripple of the waves on the shore, there was not a sound to be heard. The water had regained its balance, so to speak, and to right and left, as far as they could see, there was a dark, open space of about a quarter of a mile wide on an average between the rugged ice-piled shore and the pack, with comparatively few fragments, flashing with light as they glided along in the now gentle current.

In their passage in the boat through the gloomy chasm the cold had been intense; but a few minutes' climbing over the ice in the clear sunshine, carrying a heavy rifle and ammunition, resulted in a pause behind a huge mass of piled-up ice, where flat piece after flat piece had been thrust one above the other, and a declaration that it was very hot.

"Hist!" whispered Johannes, who, with Jakobsen, was their companion on land once more. "A sound may alarm the walrus."

"But I should have thought they would be tame enough up here," said Steve. "They can't have seen men before. Couldn't we walk up to them boldly?"

The Norseman shook his head.

"They have other enemies beside man, sir, and they are suspicious of anything strange which they see moving. Look," he continued, pointing downward from the height to which they had climbed.

"What at? More walrus?"

"No, sir; that shining water. We need not have left the boat. It is the continuation of the passage we came through, and you can trace it from those great blocks of ice right away in and out to the sea."

"All but in that one place not so very far from where we left the boat."

"Yes; the ice-floe was thrust right over it there. It may have choked it up, but perhaps there is a way under the ice. Great floes like that in motion yesterday would easily be thrust right over such a narrow canal. Look what has been done here."

"Then, if we can row right through to the sea that will be grand," said Steve; "because it will make it so easy if we can explore along the coast in the boat."

"Yes, sir, and so much better for the seal and walrus-hunting. Shall we go on now, gentlemen?"

"Yes," said Captain Marsham. "Where do you make out the herd to be lying now?"

"About a quarter of a mile from the other side of this pile, sir, straight away toward the sea. Be careful to keep out of sight."

The stalk was resumed, and slowly and carefully all crept along in single file, keeping to the depressions and rugged passages between the masses of ice.

It was a most laborious struggle, for the necessity of keeping out of sight forced all to go down in the most difficult places, and at times to lie flat and crawl and drag themselves over the higher portions which they had to cross.

But the excitement kept them well to their work, and in almost perfect silence they progressed till a sheltered nook was reached behind a ridge formed by the tilting of one of the ice-fields which had been forced ashore. Here they paused again to regain breath and steadiness of hand, for the exertion was great to reach this advantageous spot, just beyond which the walrus lay, the sea being close at hand. There was only a rough slope formed by the edge of the floe now lying at an angle of about thirty-five degrees for them to mount, rest their rifles on the edge, take aim each at the one he selected, and fire.

Johannes had directed the captain on the course taken, he seeming to know, as if by instinct, the way to bear and regain the straight line marked out when they had been turned aside by an obstacle; and now, after pointing out to the leader where to take his place, and then by signs only indicating the doctor's, he turned to Steve, placed his lips to the boy's ear, and said:

"Creep up slowly without a sound, slip your gun over, and take aim at one of the walrus that is side on to you. It is of no use to shoot anywhere; it must be straight behind the eye, and about six inches away, just where it looks all thick neck. They're waiting; go on."

Steve glanced to right and left, as Johannes crouched down beside Jakobsen, each man with his lance ready; and then the captain waved his hand, and they started together, crawling up slowly and silently till they were within a yard of the level ridge, where all paused as if animated by the same spirit, thrust the barrels of their pieces toward the top, and began to seek for the next places to plant their feet so as to peer over the edge together.

Steve's heart beat with great throbs, and a curious nervous sensation came over him; but he was in position first, saw that the captain was ready the next moment, and then turned to the doctor, for it was of course necessary that all should fire together.

Steve was just in time to hear a sharp ejaculation, and see the doctor slip and roll down the ice slope, his rifle rattling after him with plenty of noise; and, knowing that if he were not quick there would be no shot, he raised himself up with rifle ready, thrust it over the ridge at the same time as the captain, and then stopped there staring.

"Fire! fire!" came in a whisper from Jakobsen.

"What at?" replied Steve, and the captain laughed good-humouredly.

"Hurt yourself, Handscombe?" he said.

"Hurt myself! Of course I have. I shall be all bruises," grumbled the doctor. "Why didn't you shoot?"

"How can you ask that when you made noise enough to frighten away all the walrus in the arctic circle?"

"Are there none there?" said Johannes, who had crept up to Steve's side.

"Not a sign of one."

"Don't say I scared them all away," said the doctor.

"Oh no, sir," replied the Norseman, looking about searchingly. "They must have seen us ten minutes ago; they're yonder on the ice a quarter of a mile away. We were very careful, too."

"I am glad I did not frighten them," cried the doctor, rubbing one of his elbows.

"But it's so disappointing after all that trouble," grumbled Steve.

"Wait a bit, sir," said Johannes, as he watched the herd; "you will have plenty of chances yet. There are sure to be some disappointments in walrus-hunting. We must be more careful next time. There are some, grand bulls there, though," he added thoughtfully; "look at that one's tusks, Mr Steve--that one drawing himself up out of the water."

"Yes, I was looking at it," replied Steve. "What a monster! It looks like an elephant without a trunk, and his tusks turned wrong way on."

For there, swimming about, or climbing on to a great mass of ice a quarter of a mile away, but which looked half that distance in the clear air, was the herd in perfect safety. They were of all sizes, from calves not half grownup to unwieldy cows and the huge massive bulls. Some floated quietly, others were gambolling about, and the rest lay in various attitudes as if basking or sleeping in the warm sunshine; while one great fellow had dragged himself on to the highest point, raised himself on his fore flippers, and, with head erect, was looking about in different directions.

"That's the sentinel," said Johannes quietly. "He'll warn them of danger, and he must have seen us."

"No," said Jakobsen; and he pointed to their right.

Johannes laughed.

"Right," he said. "No wonder you did not get a shot, gentlemen; there was some one stalking them first."

"Some one?" cried the captain. "Who? where?"

Johannes chuckled, and pointed to where the water was being parted by something swimming.

"I see it," cried Steve; "a bear!"

"Yes, sir; he has been trying to get one of the young calves, but they were too sharp for him; and now he has gone down to the water, and is swimming across to the floe to have another try. If you watch him, Mr Steve, you'll see some fun."

"Have a look, Steve," said the captain, drawing the small double glass from its case and passing it to the boy, who carefully laid down his heavy rifle, and focussed the binocular upon the bear, bringing it, as it were, almost to his feet. He could see the long, cruel-looking head, with its pointed nose just clear of the water, the eyes the same, and the whole body so nearly submerged that there was nothing visible but the long hair, waving like a streaky ripple as the bear swam steadily on.

"It's not going after the walrus," said Steve.

"Wait a bit, sir. I think it is," said Johannes. "That's the bear's cunning. If it went straight at them they would all plunge into the water, and swim and dive away. You'll see the antics directly; those beasts are as cunning as cats."

In effect, as Steve watched, he saw the bear swim right away to the ice, a couple of hundred yards apparently from the walrus herd, climb out on to the surface, shake itself to get rid of the water two or three times, and then move away from the edge a little and lie down in the sun, while the walrus herd paid no more attention to it than it apparently paid to them, the calves wallowing about and playing on the ice, and the rest of the herd gradually drawing themselves up to bask in the warmth. In fact, though it was interesting to examine the huge beasts through the glass, Steve began to think it time to commence inspecting something else, or try to shoot something useful to the ship's cook.

"Old Johannes don't know everything," he said to himself; but the thought had hardly crossed his mind when the object thereof touched his arm.

"Look," he said.

"I was looking," replied Steve, whose glass was fixed upon the walrus herd. "What fat, comical creatures the young ones are! They seem to have no shape at all."

"No, no; look at the bear. He's hungry, that fellow, and wants a good feed."

Steve turned the glass upon the bear, and saw that it had risen to its feet, and was licking itself, with its head turned away from the walrus, and then, lying down, it rolled over two or three times before beginning to lick and paw itself again for a time, but always shuffling backward a little as it attended busily to its toilet.

"See what he means, sir?" whispered Johannes.

"Yes, it's trying to get nearer to the young walrus."

"That's it, sir. Now, you watch."

Steve's attention was taken now, and he eagerly scanned the action of the great Polar bear, which appeared to be in quite a playful mood, and had another roll and gambol on the ice before beginning to preen and clean its long, soft, whitish fur again as if it were feathers.

This went on for a long time; but it was so cleverly and artfully managed that it took the others' attention, and they all lay there on the ice in the warm sunshine, watching the cunning animal as it continued to get nearer and nearer to the herd, while the old bull, with his head erect and his white tusks curving away sat up in the most stupidly stolid fashion.

"Why, the silly great bull will let the bear get close up to him!" cried Steve at last, after looking at one of these evolutions. "He managed quite six yards then. Why doesn't the creature give the alarm?"

"Not so stupid as you think, sir," said Johannes. "I've watched these animals many times before, and you'll see that he'll give the word before long; I mean he'll do something to start them all off."

All the same, it did not appear as if the huge walrus realised the danger approaching so steadily, for every now and then, while performing some antic, the bear continued to lessen the distance between it and its prey, while simulating the greatest innocence and assuming to be thinking of anything but making an attack. So playful a creature, enjoying itself thoroughly in the sunshine, could never have approached a walrus herd before. Now it was rolling legs upward, and giving itself a peculiar wriggle, as if to scratch its back; then it was sitting up like a cat, and reaching round to have a lick at the part of its person which had just been rubbed in the ice. A minute later it was on its flank, with all four legs stretched out, and its muzzle in the snow; and all these changes were made with the most extreme deliberation, and as if the animal was intent only upon its own enjoyment, and was as sportive as the unwieldy fat calves rolling about near their mothers a short distance away.

"It's all over," said Steve suddenly; for the animal had shuffled a little nearer to the herd, and then lain down with its head from them, and apparently gone to sleep.

The doctor and Captain Marsham, tired of watching the bear, had started off with their pieces, leaving Steve with the two Norsemen, so that the lad's last remark was addressed to his companions.

"No," said Jakobsen, smiling; "the sport has hardly begun."

"Right," said Johannes. "Why, Mr Steve, you do not think that treacherous great brute would take all that trouble for nothing, do you?"

"I don't know, I do not understand bears," replied Steve; "I only say look at him. Why, Johannes, if we had had the boat through, what a capture we might have made--the bear and plenty of walrus!"

"Perhaps, sir," replied the Norseman drily.

"What do you mean?"

"We might have failed to get within shot."

"And if we had, lost the walrus all the same," said Jakobsen.

"Yes," said Johannes, "you are never sure of one of those great beasts."

"Well, let's follow the captain," said Steve; "I'm getting a little cold."

"Won't you stay and see the end of the bear's game, sir? He has finished his nap, and has begun to have another roll."

The man was correct, for the bear had rolled itself over, turned, and had another roll over, bringing itself apparently within some twenty yards of a couple of the smallest calves, which were stretched out in clumsy bulk close to the edge of the ice, where it was about ten feet above the glistening water.

"Now for it," said Jakobsen; "he means mischief at last."

But never was there a more innocent, playful-looking bear. It turned half away, and began to haul up the snow as if to make its bed there upon the floe, gazing across at the land the while; then with a swing, as if it were on a pivot, it swung round.

"Now!" cried Johannes; but there was no need, Steve's eyes were fixed intently upon the animal as it made a sudden rush.

So did the bull walrus, and the snow rose in clouds, torn up by the animals making for the sea, which was churned up into foam as first one and then another of the monstrous, shapeless creatures threw itself in with a tremendous splash.

So great was the disturbance of snow and water that there was quite a mist; but Steve was able to see that the two fat calves rolled over into the sea in time enough to avoid the bear's rush; and almost at the same moment the bull charged it, and caught it with its head in the flank as it stood with outstretched muzzle and grinning teeth reaching over the water, uttering a low, deep roar indicative of its disappointment.

So intent was the bear on the prey which it had missed, that it paid no heed to the approach of the bull, which, after bustling across the surface of the snow, struck the bear right in the side and tumbled it off into the sea with a tremendous splash, following directly after with a turmoil in the water which was more extensive still.

It was impossible to see what happened then, for the calm, smooth water seemed now to have been smitten by a storm, but only to calm again, as Jakobsen pointed along the edge of the floe, where the bear could be seen swimming steadily away.

"He has got off," said Johannes, "for a wonder."

"Why?" asked Steve; "the walrus couldn't fight a savage beast like that."

"But they do, sir, sometimes, in defence of their young; and then the walrus can be a savage beast, too. Think of what tusks they have! I've seen them thirty inches long, but say there are eighteen or twenty inches standing out, firm, hard teeth with which the animal can strike like lightning."

"Straight down, I suppose?" said Steve.

"Straight down, sir? Any way,--side ways, and even upwards; for big, heavy creatures as they are, they can twist their heads round like a kitten. I daresay a walrus would get the worst of it on the _ice_, if the bear could once get a good hug; but when a bull has got a bear in the water, though he can swim splendidly, he is not at home there like a walrus, and this one must have had better luck than usual to get away."

"And where is the herd now?" said Steve, looking curiously after the bear.

"Ah, gone far enough by this time, sir. The bear scared them, and they go on swimming away for miles till they forget all about the danger, and then get on the ice again."

A hail from the captain took them to his side. He was examining the narrow rift which made its way amidst the piled-up ice, the rocks on either side having prevented its being filled up, and, following this, they made their way toward the boat, and wherever it was possible they managed to trace it pretty well, till, as Johannes had surmised, they came upon a place where the channel through the rocks was covered in, but fortunately not choked, being completely arched over for about a hundred yards.

"We must try and find our way to this in the boat to-morrow," said Captain Marsham; "there must be a way, though we did not find it to-day."

"It is hidden somewhere by the rocks, sir," said Johannes: "shall we search?"

"No; they will be getting uneasy on board. I am satisfied with to-day's work. We have found another road to the sea, one which is not blocked. But," he added in a low voice to the doctor, "not a way out for the ship."

They reached the boat a short time after, and plunged from the brilliant sunshine into the chill and gloom of the weird rift, along which they were rowed, listening to a good deal of splashing and echoing in the darkest part.

"Fish?" whispered Steve, for the strangeness of the gloomy chasm had an effect upon his spirits, and before he asked that question he had been busy with his imagination conjuring up all manner of strange-looking, dangerous creatures as being likely to inhabit the dark depths over which they were riding, so he turned to Johannes and said, "Fish?"

"Seals," replied the Norseman laconically.

An hour later they were out in the sunshine once again, with the magnificent glacier which filled up the northern end of the fiord looking more lovely than when they saw it first, a fact due; perhaps, to their having been threading a gloomy passage which at times was like a huge cavern.

Then came a long row past the valleys which ran inland, and down one of which the doctor declared that he saw a reindeer; and in due time the fiord contracted, the rocks on either side towered up with their ledges displaying row after row of sea-birds ready to take flight and utter their wild clamour, as in the distance they resembled a snowstorm of which the great flakes were parti-coloured.

At last the _Hvalross_ was seen floating on the clear water, looking welcome and bright in the sunshine; and so clear was everything that as they neared her she looked doubled, one vessel keel to keel with another, whose funnel and masts lay low in the depths of the fiord.

"Dinner's quite ready, gentlemen," said the cook as they reached the deck; and that night, in spite of the soft glow of the sun, Steve slept as soundly as if it were as dark as any that he had ever known at home. _

Read next: Chapter 26. The Doctor's Shot

Read previous: Chapter 24. The Northern Prison

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