THE ECLIPSE, 1 65 happened to "be at liberty showed signs of uneasiness and howled piteously. The wild ducks, thinking night had come, began to utter sleepy calls and to seek their nests, and the mothers gathered their little ones under their wings. The hush of eventide fell upon all animated nature. At eleven o'clock two-thirds of the sun were covered, and all terrestrial objects became a kind of vinous red. A gloomy twilight set in, to be succeeded during the four minutes of totality by absolute darkness. A few planets, amongst others Mercury and Venus, began to appear, and some constellations — Capella, (,[. and ^ of I'aurus, and <p ^f Orion. The darkness deepened every moment. Thomas Black remained motionless, with his eye glued to the glass of his instrument, eagerly watching the progress of the phenomenon. At forty-three minutes past eleven the discs of the two luminaries ought to be exactly opposite to each other, that of the moon completely hiding that of the sun. " Forty-three minutes past eleven," announced Hobson, who was attentively watching the minute hand of his chronometer. Thomas Black remained motionless, stooping over his instrument. Half a minute passed, and then the astonomer drew himself up, with eyes distended and eager. Once more he bent over the telescope, and cried in a choked voice — " She is going ! she is going ! The moon, the moon is going ! She is disappearing, running away ! " True enough the disc of the moon was gliding away from that of the sun without having completely covered it ! The astronomer had fallen backwards, completely overcome. The four minutes were past. The luminous corona had not appeared ! " What is the matter % " inquired Hobson. "The matter is," screamed the poor astronomer, "that the eclipse was not total — not total for this portion of the globe ! Do you hear 1 It was not to-t-a-1 ! I say not to-t-a-1 ! ! " " Then your almanacs are incorrect." " Incorrect ! Don't tell that to me, if you please. Lieutenant Hobson ! " " But what then % " said Hobson, suddenly changing countenance. " Why," said Black, " we are not after all on the seventieth parallel!" " Only fancy ! " cried Mrs Barnett. " We can soon prove it," said the astronomer, whose eyes flashed
