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[[boxed]] 5 [[h]] - 30 [[m]] Bright beams A. shooting up E. [[image: vertical lines as a sketch of the Aurora]] Up! Up! it went, to Zenith - thence it pushed onward & downward till it reached within 10° Western Horizon 3° wide [[/boxed]] Friday Nov 9th 1860 This has been Exception day - that is a fine one. This A.M. two Boats cruising for whales. One was seen - & Gardiner & his crew came near capturing it. Gardiner says that he felt as sure of it as tho' he had him & yet when within 8 fathoms ^[[up went flukes &]] down went whale. I asked Mate G. if there had been a gun harpoon at hand, in ^[[complete]] readiness, if he could have secured that whale? He answered: 'He thought he might.' Here was a miss of near $5.000 (for it was a [[underlined]] large [[/underlined]] whale) by not having an instrument costing perhaps $25.! I do wonder American Whalers do not adopt something that will secure such prizes, [[underlined]] when within 25 to 50 feet [[/underlined]]! It seems to me a lottery the making fast to whales when you are obliged to get within 3 to 4 fathoms of them before throwing the harpoon! When Whales are shy, this is impossible. Let all Whale Boats have instruments aboard that can be ^[[readily]] fired into the whale when the hand harpoon cannot be brought to bear. Some of the Boat's crews [[strikethrough]] have been [[/strikethrough]] were employed this A.M. wrecking the Rescue. Timber - "Live-oak" - is now plenty. Twee-yoong (Susy) has been aboard to-day. She is the wife of Nuk-er-tee-erk-oonge (Miner) an enterprising Esquimaux. Their family consists of ^[[a son]] Shoo-Kong (Charley) 20 years ^[[of age]] one of the smartest young men Esquimaux of the North employed by Capt. B. whaling The name of another son was, Nung-woong, lost 12 years ago by the "Kantrum" (overturning) of a Ki-ak. Aged 13 when drowned. Twee-yoong is a noble Esquimaux woman - one of the mothers of the race. I should suppose her age 45. She is always well dressed - Had on to-day a ^[[civilization fashion cut]] dress, the [[underlined]] skirt [[/underlined]] of which was made of the pik-a-nin-y took-too ^[[skin]] - (that is the fur of very young deer). Her [[Spencer?]] was of reindeer the hair ^[[of which was]] cut off short - How this possibly could be done as evenly as it was I cannot tell. Her hair was well arranged. Twee-yoong, if any way at fault, is too proud. I know ladies ^[[in the states too]] apt to make dress - [[underlined]] fashion [[/underlined]] - their god! I never saw more dignified pride than [[strikethrough]] on board the G.H. [[/strikethrough]] to-day as Twee-yoong prominaded the deck of the George Henry! I made her a present of a Ladies ^[[hand]] dressing glass. She was in ecstacy! I just escaped being overwhelmed with - kisses - but not a hugging! After she found that this present reflected back her image - showing her just how to arrange her toilette, her joy was beyond all powers of control. Nature made her dance & laugh for joy - nay, more, Twee-yoong actually cried for joy as she took my hand in hers & ^[[exclaimed:]] Pee-ee-uke! At 5 o'clock the G.H. iced all around! - ^[[that is]] a floe of 5 or 6 acres - started from the upper End of the Bay & came down with the retreating tide (N W wind helping) striking the G.H. with considerable force. Happily the ice was only 4 to 6 inches thick. The G.H. was in good position to meet the foe - head to! The result was - the ice passed on, the G.H. firmly maintaining her ground, cutting her width as though armed with teeth. 5h - 20m Eve 1st Appearance Aurora ^[[NNE]] - Not a cloud in the sky. Wind all day N.W. & fresh. The view of the Stars indistinct by the [[strikethrough]] clouds [[/strikethrough]] ^[[Aurora being]] disseminated over the Heavens!
