Viewing page 58 of 309

This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.

1860 Saturday Dec. 15th

Thermometer stands this morning at 4 1/2° above zero, Bar 29.350  Wind very moderate from NW
The stars to be seen [[underlined]] few [[/underlined]] & they but dimly.

VI o'clock Eve. The Aurora is displaying magnificently to-night!  It
commenced 15 minutes since.  This moment rays shooting up from the E. & N.E.- W. & N.W.  meeting at Zenith in Cassiopeia Arch-like.  So far this has been unusual - detached beams of such extension as to-night -  Now they are in long, tapering beams springing from a base say 25° from horizon & meeting at a point overhead. 

I called at  [[Chimeuarchu's?]] Igloo to-day.  Saw [[?Nukerton]].  She improving - I hope she will soon be out.
The "black & blues" on Kok-er Zhun's face!  A noble woman outrageously abused by C. last night.  [[underlined]] Not unusual abuse! [/underlined]]

Have been out to-day measuring a base line for the survey of "Rescue Harbor".  Erected a flag on Whale Island & one on the point by the Tupiks.  As I made my way from main ice to the shore near [[strikethrough]] Tupiks [[/strikethrough]] Igloos got my sextant into the slush (sea-ice &  water -  I hastened to Ebiernbing's Igloo where I found all the lady folks enjoyed preparing for suspending a lining of canvass within the snow house.  Tuk-oo-li-too seeing, the plight I was in, set herself at once to work [[strikethrough]] cleaning [[/strikethrough]] wiping my sextant. 

Three seals have been secured by the natives of N. Star Village to-day.  I rejoice to learn from Ebirbing that he recovered one of the seals he shot with my rifle yesterday.  He found it floating in the narrow channel of water still in the middle of the Bay.

[[end page]]
[[start page]]

Saturday Dec 15th 1860

A beautiful bow of prismatic colors around the sun for several hours.  Diameter of circle 44°.  The color at Points "*", "*" brighter colors than the bow above.  [[image: drawing of arc with sun inside, annotated "semi D. 22° on both sides", pea green and red zenith on the left and pale green and red on the right]] 

While taking Angles from the flag  & staff I had erected near the Igloos my fingers almost frozen - hastened to the tupic of Mgan whom his nuliana No2 Kunnia seized my  hands holding them in hers which in warmth were quite like stoves.  Here were some interesting scenes.  A moment before my entrance, Mate Gardiner, whom I found hence had arrived.  His arrival was timely for one of the Esquimaux dogs had just stolen from Polly's tray a piece of seal blubber with which he was making off.  Punny, wife No3, was giving chase [[underlined]] sans [[/underlined]] codlings (the skin dress on her nether limbs) when Mate Gardiner kindly relieved Punny of farther exposure to the cold & eyes of Kodlunars. 

In every Igloo & tupic the Esquimaux women are busily at work tanning tuk-too furs for winter dresses for themselves and wingas (husbands) 

I was amused at the way Nik-u-jar "Polly" and Kunnia stretched the Tuk-too skin on wh. they were at work.  Each were seated in their proper place before their separate native lamp with said tuk-too skin before them.  Instead of using their hands to pull they used their teeth - pulling on one part then on another till it was a thorough stretched skin.  Punni (wife 3) was seated at the farther end of the tupik before her little lamp milling away on another skin.  As Gardiner sat facing the 3 wives busily at work, I, standing by his side made the remark What a capital subject for a picture!   He thought so too!
The natives who drifted away last night have returned