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Friday
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Gardiner - mate Gardiner - says that he 1st saw George the Blind Esquimaux, in the Fall of 1856 at Niantlik a place near the head of Northumberland Inlet - Was then living with his wife, happily, having a ^[[seal skin]] tent of his own & every thing desired by an Esquimaux to make him & nuliana Comfortable. Not [[strikethrough]] h [[/strikethrough]] withstanding Pau-ho-yen (George) was blind at that time, yet he went out sealing with the other natives doing all he could to support himself & family. It will be recollected that Nik-u-jan, wife No 1 of Myan, was the wife of "George" till she was induced to take up with Myan. A curious state of [[strikethrough]] [[?]] [[/strikethrough]] affairs ^[[is]] [[strikethrough]] in [[/strikethrough]] often coming up to a person studying this people - Strange people - I may call them. Myan seems much attached to little Kuu-Kau-yong the daughter of Pau-lus-yen & Nik-u-jan. The other day, when Myan accompanied me to the upper village for a Boat load of fresh water, he carried up some pieces of Sea-biscuit. Pork & Beef that he had saved out of [[strikethrough]] his [[/strikethrough]] the George Henry Rations for Kuu-Kau-yong. Myan frequently takes the child home with him exercising the affection for it that he does to the [[nu-tar-ong?]] (baby) "Me-noun". Kuu-Kao-yong is in its sixth year & is but 2 feet 11 inches in height - Dressed up in its native costume, She looks about as broad as in height. A very interesting little girl is Kuu-Kao-yong - & very kind she
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is to her poor blind father. Between ^[[them]] there is a union of attachment & tenderness.
It seems a Heaven on Earth to see this dutiful child doing all it can to serve her father ^[[who]] is doomed [[strikethrough]] to move [[/strikethrough]] to walk amid Scenes of ^[[crystal]] beauty & Sun Shine; & yet, as it were [[strikethrough]] ^[[?]] [[/strikethrough]] entombed in perpetual darkness. When together, Father & daughters are happy. A day's separation makes both unhappy. When George [[strikethrough]] [[?]] [[/strikethrough]] met me to-day, a said; [[underlined]] 'Me hungry!' [[/underlined]] [[strikethrough]] P [[/strikethrough]] He & his Koo-Kou-yen were gladdened ^[[& refreshed]] by ^[[a]] a good dinner & ^[[as good a]] Supper on board of the G. H. Capt. Burlington has a heart that sympathises with the afflicted & needful. Would that the World had more like him!
1X O'clock ^[[Night.]]. Sleet is now falling. Ther 23°
Bar 29.712. ^[[wind fresh from N.N.W.]] No Sun or Stars for a week!
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Saturday Nov 17th 1860
On deck this morning at VI.
Here & there a bright spot was to be seen indication that the light of stars was struggling to penetrate the thick gloom that overhung the heavens. I noticed, indifferently however, long lines of what I took to be white clouds extending from the W. around to the S. — from the N.W. around to the E. Casting my eye upwards, I ^[[saw]] a bright cloud in the S.E., 50[[degree symbol]] above the horizon. It momentarily occurred to me that this was Aurora. But no, this could h[[?]]be. I ^[[kept]] my eye upon it for several minutes when a long ray of it. shot up [[strikethrough]] like [[/strikethrough]] ^[[quick as]] [[strikethrough]] like a flash of [[/strikethrough]] lightning from the horizon, penetrating midway this cloud of light. This was a key to the phenomenon