82 MY ARCTIC JOURNAL 



Monday, November 23. It grows gradually darker every 

 day. To-day at noon it was impossible to read ordinary print 

 by daylight. Mr. Verhoeff went on the cliffs to look at his 

 thermometer, and found that it read higher than those at 

 Redcliffe. Ikwa and his brother returned about noon without 

 foxes or game of any kind. We had a faint aurora this even- 

 ing. On the whole I am very much disappointed in the 

 auroras ; I thought we should have very beautiful displays in 

 the Arctic regions, but it seems that we are too far north of 

 the magnetic pole. 



Wednesday, November 25. The days are rather unsatis- 

 factory, although I keep busy all day sewing, mending, re- 

 arranging my room, etc. When I sum up at bedtime what I 

 have accomplished, it is very little. Mr. Peary and the boys 

 are busily at work on some test sledges. This afternoon 

 Annowkah and M'gipsu returned, bringing with them a 

 twelve-year-old girl, named Tookymingwah, whose father 

 was dragged under the ice and drowned a few weeks ago by 

 an infuriated "oogzook" seal ( PJioca barbata? ) which he had 

 harpooned. She has a mother and two sisters, who will be 

 here soon. 



Mr. Peary issued the Thanksgiving proclamation, and I 

 have been busy getting things ready for the Thanksgiving 

 dinner, which I told Matt I would prepare. Our cooking and 

 baking is all done on oil- stoves; since I have only three 

 ovens I baked my pies to-day, as I shall need all the stoves 

 and ovens to-morrow. This forenoon I went out to our 



