Viewing page 158 of 309

This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.

1861 Wedns Feb. 13th

For the life of me every time I eat a Seal Fore flipper I think of a lady's hand.  Indeed the bones as they are all held together by ligaments as I eat looks like a hand of a delicate lady's!  The nails are an exception to resemblance - the Seal's being small dark & running to a point being specially designed for [[underlined]] scratching [[/underlined]] which I believe is not the case with a lady's tho' I have heard of instances where the latter has been used for that purpose!  The eating of a Seal's flipper is something like that of pig's feet, though the amount of food upon the flipper is not comparable to the latter.  Little but skin & hair is about a Seal's flipper.  Seal, skin & ham, then as before said, [[underlined]] I did eat this Morning! [[/underlined]]

The Aurora again prevails to-night.  Seldom does a night pass, when clear, but a display of this phenomenon is to be seen in the Heavens, mostly South, [[underlined]] rarely [[/underlined]] North.

"Jack" the man Esquimaux now about, did not stay out long to-day - thought the wind blew too hard for him!  He seems to live easy - eats a good deal but mostly of the product of what others obtain by hard working.  He visits Ebierbing's Igloo quite often & never departs but what he gets something given him in way of food for himself & family.  How many here seem dependent upon our Igloo's occupants!

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

36th Night in an Igloo!
Thursday, Feb 14th 1861

This Morning, about 2 O'Clock "pell mell" came something against our New Snow-door bursting it in, & breaking this chaste piece of Innuit Architecture into fragments!  The sudden & terrific force with wh. it was done made me at 1st think that a Ni-nook (White Bear) was our alarmist!  But a cool survey of the intruder by the dimly burning Ik-Ku-mer (Fire-Lamp) showed that one of Ugarny's dogs had been struck with a panic - took a sudden thought that he was hungry & would remain so no longer!  The sum total of this amounted to his bursting in every door - (snow slab placed against the entrance to the Igloo) of the village.  Not only once did hungry dog pay a visit by breaking such Igloo, but duplicated it.  He was no favorite to any one to-day!

At 10 O'Clock AM, Jack ([[space]]) went out sealing, a very late hour for a [[underlined]] good [[/underlined]] Sealer in fine, or even [[underlined]] indifferent [[/underlined]] weather.  This has been a good day for Ebierbing & Ugarny (with wife No2) on their "Oo-kood-lear" sealing excursion.  [[underlined]] Many [[/underlined]] are the wishes for their good success.  To-morrow we expect them back with a Kum-mi-ti (sledge) load of shot seals!  Ebierbing has my rifle & ammunition, & if there are seals seen [[underlined]] he will have some. [[/underlined]]

Tuk-oo-li-too asked me this Morning if I would keep house (should I not say 'keep Igloo') for her while she & Punni took a short walk on the seko (Sea-Ice) the purpose being to get some things belonging to her & E. left by Ugarny while on his