Page 130 - THE JUNGLE BOOK
P. 130
The Jungle Book
almost due northeast from Novastoshnah, all ledges and
rock and gulls’ nests, where the walrus herded by
themselves.
He landed close to old Sea Vitch—the big, ugly,
bloated, pimpled, fat-necked, long-tusked walrus of the
North Pacific, who has no manners except when he is
asleep—as he was then, with his hind flippers half in and
half out of the surf.
‘Wake up!’ barked Kotick, for the gulls were making a
great noise.
‘Hah! Ho! Hmph! What’s that?’ said Sea Vitch, and he
struck the next walrus a blow with his tusks and waked
him up, and the next struck the next, and so on till they
were all awake and staring in every direction but the right
one.
‘Hi! It’s me,’ said Kotick, bobbing in the surf and
looking like a little white slug.
‘Well! May I be—skinned!’ said Sea Vitch, and they all
looked at Kotick as you can fancy a club full of drowsy old
gentlemen would look at a little boy. Kotick did not care
to hear any more about skinning just then; he had seen
enough of it. So he called out: ‘Isn’t there any place for
seals to go where men don’t ever come?’
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