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Saturday, Nov 2d 1861 Bar 29,75 AM 14° N.W. Light Cloudy - (sun out dimly IX AM) M 13° N.W. Strong few clouds [[symbol: sun]] out Bar 29.5 PM 6° N.W. Strong [[underlined]] Fine [[/underlined]] (Aurora!) The gun accident Charley Keeney - The Dinner - Aurora This Morning one of the steerage men (Charley Keeney) came near losing his life by the accidental discharge & bursting of one of the barrels of his gun. He was on his way to hunt when one of his feet went through an air hole & down he fell, his gun striking in such a way that both barrels loaded with shot, were fired off, the charges passing close to his head - & one of the barrels bursting near the muzzle. Had his hand in wh. he was holding the gun been 3 inches higher he would have had it blown off. A narrow escape truly. Our dinner to-day (the principle dishes) Pemmican with a portion of Borden's meat biscuit incorporated. Besides them were sliced potato & broken sea-bread cooked with it. A rich, capital dish of soup it made. All seemed to relish it. To-night at hVI I went on deck & the Aurora presented a fine scene. From East to W (South of [[?us]] was a magnificent arch of living gold. The Eastern extent rested to all appearance on the high land, the Western the same. The center of the arch was 10° above the horizon South. [[image: drawing of aurora over land annotated E S W]] [[end page]] [[start page]] 1861 Nov 2 Sat. The wind blowing strong - the Aurora truly appeared as possessing [[underlined]] life! [[/underlined]] in its dancing to & fro from one extreme to the other. The colors rivalling the rain-bow - the pea green predominating over the other hues. At the E. a bank of golden rays shot up far above all the rest reaching well up the cerulean vault. Stars obscured as the "merrie dancers" swept along in piles of coruscations. The Arch continued receeding - falling lower & lower. The reverse is the usual course of the Aurora so far as I have observed this phenomenon. Not a cloud to be seen to-night. Now hVII-m30 The Aurora now lifting its [[underlined]] Archs [[/underlined]] Zenith-ward, for there are now 2 reaching from E to W - & some portion of the distance 3. The wind is blowing almost a gale. Ther. 6° above zero. The harder the wind blows the more beautiful is the Aurora - the brisker their races & dances - & the more glowing, brighter their colors. I wish all my friends in the States could witness the Aurora as seen here in these regions. I am sure on witnessing it as now they would clap their hands & sing: [[underlined]] 'Glory to God, for He hath surrounded us with the heavens full of glory! [[/underlined]] I would here make this remark that the [[underlined]] finest [[/underlined]] displays only last a few moments. Though it may be playing all night, yet, it is only now & then that its grandest displays are made. As if marshaling forces - gathering strength - compounding material - it continues on in its silent workings. At length as it begins its trembling throes, beauty anon shoots out here & there, when all at once, the Aurora [[underlined]] flashes [[/underlined]] into living hosts of [[underlined]] powdered [[/underlined]] coruscating Rainbows belting the heavenly dome with [[underlined]] such gorgeous grandeur [[/underlined]] - sometimes, that mortals [[underlined]] tremble [[/underlined]] to behold! Never shall I forget last winter when Capt Budington & mate Gardiner & myself were on deck witnessing one of the rare displays just described! In truth [[underlined]] we did tremble, [[/underlined]] Capt. B. exclaiming: [[underlined]] 'I never with to behold the like again!' [[/underlined]] So I felt. I never expect to see the like if I should live a hundred years.
