Often he is dragged to the very
edge of the ice before he finds a protuberance against which to brace
his feet, and often he is drawn down under the ice before he will
relinquish his hold. He is very tenacious under such circumstances, for
he knows that when he loses the walrus he loses his line and harpoon
also.
Occasionally a dead walrus is found with a harpoon and line fastened to
him, in which case the walrus and line belong to the finder. I remember
a curious incident of this kind that occurred at Depot Island. Toolooah
and Ebierbing (Esquimau Joe) were hunting together and Toolooah struck
a fine young bull walrus, and got the spear hold against the ice for
Joe to hold. It is a powerful hold, and a child could hold a whale in
that way if the line did not break. But poor unfortunate Joe, for some
unaccountable reason, raised the spear, and, of course, the line was
drawn from under his foot, and both walrus and line were lost,
notwithstanding Toolooah and Sebeucktolee (familiarly "Blacksmith")
caught the running line and held until their hands were cut to the
bone. They did not know at this time that another walrus had been
killed a mile or two further along the edge of the floe. The loss of
the line was also a sad misfortune. Joe felt so badly about it that he
was ashamed to come in, and walked several miles farther along the ice
with an Inuit companion, in the hope of killing a seal with his rifle;
but Toolooah, who had taken no rifle, inasmuch as he had taken a spear
and line instead, returned to camp and came into the igloo which he and
I occupied in common, looking very much dejected in consequence of the
loss of his walrus and line, the circumstances of which he explained to
me, showing his terribly lacerated hands.
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