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1861 Nov 27 Wedns
Conclusion of the description of Tuesday Eve's record
had been set on one side leaving the centre for the actors. Smith in playing the Tambourine would now & then bring it a crack on the head of his partner Old Annawa - then a few moments on to the gilded head of this & that singing Innuit all of wh. served to "bring down the house". At length Annawa became weary (the playing the Kei-loun is hard work) when Negress (Smith) resumed his place playing & shouting Innuit like making so much fun that all our sides shook & ached with laughter. Even each of the singing women occasionally was obliged to give place to the uncontrolled, convulsive merry noise, a happy laugh.
Following this Negress was called upon to play the drummer. Ook-sing held the Kei-loun while she performed "Yankee doodle" "Hail Columbia" &c &c with admirable skill & effect using 2 Iron spoons for drum sticks! He was accompanied in this by the melodious whistle of Morgan.
This ended, Capt. cried out to Smith from the Aft Cabin where Capt B & I were seated: 'to be cautious or he might find himself kissing some of the numerous Fair ones about him. On this Smith (the Negress character) seized [[space]] an Innuit lady recently from Northumberland Inlet who unfortunately has eyes that look to the Right & Left at the same time & gave her a smack arousing her as well as all the rest. The [[underlined]] finalle [[/underlined]] was a dance by 2 Innuit ladies & 2 of the G.H.'s men the music by Bailey standing in his room & fingering & sawing Cat gut.
At 1/2 past six (an early hour) the performances closed, all highly pleased with the enjoyments of the evening. "A hearty laugh is good as a feast." The number of Innuit guests exceeded 50. Many of the lady Innuits ornamented to the height of aristocracy. The golden (?) head dress & the long variegated pendants of beads hung from each side of the hair made the assembly look Theatre like! Tuk-oo-li-too with her infant & very many other ladies with their "bulked" organs present.
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1861 Nov 27th Wedns
This a cold day - the coldest yet of this season.
This P.M. enveloped in Took-too I walked over to Ebierbing's. Found that he & Kood-loo were off building Igloos at Fresh water pond around wh. nearly all the Innuits are located for the present on a/c of the convenience of obtaining water without the trouble of making snow water.
Keeney & the 3 forward men start off early to-morrow morning for Toong-wine the object being to trafic for Took-too skins for winter's comfort in way of clothing. The dogs are now in harness on deck made fast to be in readiness for the early start.
To-night I attempted to make observation of North Star for latitude but found the mirrors of my sextant so imperfect that I could not make good contact of the image. Of course, I had the Artificial Horizon as no sea horizon can be had about here.
As I was engaged in attempting to make above observation beautiful beams of Aurora shot up in the N. all within a small space at 1st. No where else visible thus [[image: drawing of Aurora beams]]. The seeing Aurora in the [[underlined]] North [[/underlined]] is very rare here.
Thursday, Nov. 28th 1861
29.5 AM -10° N.W. 1 [[underlined]] Fine [[/underlined]] saw a small bank of clouds low down at 8.E.
29.5 M -3° NW 1 [[underlined]] Fine [[/underlined]]
29.5 PM -9° NW 5 [[underlined]] Fine [[/underlined]] Aurora (1/1)
This Morning at V. the party for Toong-wine started off with sledge & 14 dogs. Koo-jes-se was intending to accompany it but for some reason unknown to me he concluded to remain. The Innuit "Dick" went in his place.
At Sun's Meridian I observed with Az. Compass its bearing
Chro. { hIV-m32-s00 = 119°
{ IV-36-00 = 118°
{ IV-38-40 = 117 1/2°
{ hIV-m35-s15 = [[symbol: Sun]] to left to N peak Bud. Mt. N.L. 89°-52' Small sex
[[symbol: Sun]] Meridn 12-00-00
11-43 Eq
M.T. at ship on [[symbol: Sun]] passing Merid = 11-48-17
11-48-17
Chro fast + 26 50
12-15-07
12-15-07
Dif Long 4 20
4-35-07 = [[symbol: Sun]]'s passage Merid T. Rep by Chro
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