mss142-vasilevShishmarev-i5-039

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the northeast. With such ice conditions, there remained
little hpe of penetrating far north, but in order to execute
the given commission, we continued to move forward until ab-
solute impossibility. The clearing started to have a direc-
tion more to the north, and after a few hours we entered into
a wide unfrozen patch about three miles in diameter, the
northern edge of which was limited by high stationary ice
floed. At that time we were latitude 69[degree symbol] 51' 46" and longi-
tude 182[degree symbol] 33' 22" E. The depth was 25 sazhens, the bottom,
silt. The declination of the compass, 28[degree symbol] 1'15" E. In this
patch floated a great number of detached ice pieces, some of
which were 20 or more feet hich above the surface.

The floating ice was covered with walrus, the roaring
of which was like the thunder of ocean waves breaking against
rocks. As usual, the guard had hsi gun on deck. I was stand-
ing near the side on a cannon, and sighted a young walrus
swimming out from under the sloop. I aimed, fired, and got
it right in the neck. Id dropped its head and remained mo-
tionless on the surface. We immediately lowered the skiff,
put a cable sling under this flippers, and lifted it on deck.
This was a female, judging by the tusks, which were not more than a
quarter of a foot long, and not more than two ofr three years
old. It was 6 1/4 feet long from the head to the end of the
back flippers, and weighed 18 poods [740 pounds]. The fat
under the skin was a half foot thick. The meat, which we
tried to cook, was black, watery, and of such a repulsive