Page:Life with the Esquimaux - 1864 - Volume 2.djvu/213

194 The wind was blowing strong, and the aurora truly appeared as possessing life. It danced to and fro from one extreme to the other. Its colours rivalled the rainbow, the pea-green predominating over the other hues. At the east a bank of golden rays shot up far above all the rest. The stars were obscured as the "merrie dancers" swept along in piles of coruscations. The arch continued to recede, falling lower and lower; the reverse is the usual course of the aurora, as far as my observation has extended. Not a cloud could be seen. At 7.30 the aurora was lifting its arches zenithward; there were now two reaching from east to west, and for some portion of the way there were three. The wind was blowing almost a gale, the thermometer being 6° above zero. The stronger the breeze, the more beautiful was the aurora, the brisker its races and dancings, and the more glowing its colours. I find in my diary the following entry with reference to this sublime spectacle:— "I wish all my friends in the States could witness the aurora as seen in these regions. I am sure, on beholding it as now seen, they would clap their hands and sing, 'Praise to God, for He hath surrounded us with the heavens full of glory!' "Never shall I forget when, last winter, Captain B, Mate Gardiner, and myself were on deck, witnessing one of the rare displays just described. In truth, we did tremble, Captain B exclaiming, ' I never wish to behold the like again.' And so I felt."

I accompany this description and illustration with a picture of a still more remarkable display which occurred on the evening of October 13th, 1860, one feature connected with which was a meteor of great brilliancy; it shot from a point in the heavens near Cassiopeia, crossing Ursa Minor, and losing itself among the folds of Draco. It was followed by a trail of light twenty degrees in length.

On November 4th I visited Ebierbing and Tookoolito. During my stay the latter informed me that she had to make calls the next day in all the tupics, and perhaps at the ship. On my asking the reason, she answered that her infant would