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148

Morton, true to his mission as a special envoy
in search of fresh meat, determined to
stick close to the men. It was evident
from the meal of frozen Auks that no
walrus was on hand and the movements
of Myosu and his Father showed
that they were about to seek their dinner
on the floes.

They started with three sledges
one to a neighboring cache and the
other two at a tearing run towards
the open water about ten miles off to
the S.W. They had but nine dogs
for these two sledges, one man only
riding, while the others ran in turn.

As they neared the new ice
to where the black waters of mingled
cloud and water betokened the open
sea, they would from time to time remove
the hood of their jumpers and listen intently
for the voice of the animal.

At last Myosu made Morton
aware that the walrus were in a small
space of recently open water now glazed
by a few days growth of ice, and soon
the characteristic bellow of a bull [Walrus] Awuk came to his
ear.

The note of the walrus when disporting
among the mingled ice and water
which seemed to be his chosen resort, is
like the mooing of a cow, altered with
short, bark-like ejaculations. It is
not unlike the deep baying of a bull dog
but each stacato is not inflected, or
with any distinguishable cadence, but
uttered in quick monotonous successions
seven to nine times.

The party now formed
in single file each following in the steps

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