﻿134 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  [4] 
  

  

  to 
  me 
  of 
  it, 
  and 
  of 
  the 
  singular 
  manner 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  Indians 
  took 
  it, 
  

   as 
  follows: 
  

  

  " 
  March 
  17, 
  1885. 
  — 
  Our 
  weather 
  is 
  still 
  hot 
  and 
  very 
  dry. 
  Not 
  a 
  cloud 
  

   has 
  been 
  seen 
  the 
  past 
  two 
  weeks, 
  and 
  there 
  are 
  no 
  signs 
  of 
  rain. 
  Yes- 
  

   terday 
  was 
  the 
  day 
  of 
  the 
  great 
  eclipse 
  of 
  the 
  sun, 
  and 
  it 
  was 
  the 
  grand- 
  

   est 
  sight 
  I 
  ever 
  saw. 
  The 
  moon 
  crossed 
  the 
  sun 
  between 
  8 
  and 
  9 
  a.m., 
  

   and 
  it 
  was 
  dark 
  as 
  evening. 
  I 
  stood 
  on 
  the 
  bank 
  of 
  the 
  McCloud, 
  just 
  

   as 
  near 
  the 
  line 
  as 
  possible. 
  The 
  water 
  in 
  the 
  river 
  showed 
  the 
  colors 
  

   of 
  the 
  rainbow, 
  and 
  trees 
  that 
  stood 
  near 
  the 
  water, 
  their 
  shadows 
  re- 
  

   flecting 
  back 
  in 
  the 
  water, 
  looked 
  as 
  though 
  their 
  limbs 
  were 
  edged 
  

   with 
  all 
  the 
  different 
  colors. 
  I 
  never 
  expect 
  to 
  see 
  anything 
  half 
  so 
  

   beautiful 
  again. 
  Just 
  before 
  the 
  eclipse 
  I 
  happened 
  to 
  go 
  over 
  the 
  river, 
  

   and 
  there 
  were 
  six 
  of 
  the 
  old 
  Indians 
  gathered 
  together, 
  Old 
  Kloochy 
  

   among 
  them. 
  I 
  told 
  them 
  it 
  was 
  going 
  to 
  be 
  dark 
  pretty 
  soon, 
  and 
  they 
  

   all 
  laughed 
  and 
  said, 
  "Chipcalla" 
  (bad), 
  but 
  I 
  persuaded 
  them 
  to 
  come 
  

   up 
  on 
  the 
  flat 
  near 
  the 
  river 
  and 
  wait 
  a 
  little 
  while. 
  Then 
  I 
  told 
  them 
  

   to 
  watch 
  the 
  sun 
  and 
  it 
  would 
  soon 
  grow 
  dark. 
  I 
  had 
  some 
  smoked 
  

   glass, 
  and 
  could 
  already 
  see 
  the 
  black 
  moon 
  very 
  plainly. 
  They 
  were 
  

   all 
  jabbering 
  away, 
  laughing 
  and 
  having 
  a 
  great 
  time, 
  but 
  very 
  soon 
  it 
  

   commenced 
  growing 
  visibly 
  dark, 
  and 
  they 
  noticed 
  it. 
  Then 
  their 
  fun 
  

   was 
  over. 
  They 
  were 
  all 
  very 
  quiet 
  for 
  awhile 
  and 
  watched 
  the 
  sun 
  

   closely. 
  It 
  grew 
  dark 
  very 
  rapidly, 
  and 
  the 
  first 
  thing 
  I 
  knew 
  they 
  

   were 
  all 
  on 
  their 
  feet, 
  and 
  had 
  begun 
  to 
  dance 
  and 
  scream, 
  and 
  of 
  all 
  

   the 
  noises 
  I 
  ever 
  heard 
  they 
  made 
  the 
  worst. 
  They 
  said 
  they 
  were 
  all 
  

   going 
  to 
  die. 
  Very 
  soon 
  I 
  noticed 
  a 
  change 
  in 
  them. 
  They 
  all 
  stopped 
  

   and 
  talked 
  very 
  fast 
  for 
  a 
  moment. 
  Then 
  two 
  of 
  them 
  started 
  for 
  the 
  

   house. 
  It 
  was 
  dark 
  as 
  evening. 
  Pretty 
  soon 
  they 
  returned, 
  bringing 
  

   all 
  their 
  bows 
  and 
  arrows, 
  flints, 
  beads, 
  and 
  almost 
  everything 
  they 
  

   had. 
  Then 
  they 
  took 
  the 
  oldest 
  squaw 
  and 
  laid 
  her 
  out 
  as 
  though 
  she 
  

   was 
  dead 
  j 
  placed 
  the 
  trinkets 
  all-around 
  her, 
  and 
  then 
  began 
  that 
  awful 
  

   cry 
  and 
  wail 
  again. 
  By 
  this 
  time 
  the 
  eclipse 
  was 
  passing 
  away, 
  and 
  I 
  

   told 
  them 
  it 
  would 
  soon 
  be 
  light 
  again. 
  It 
  kept 
  growing 
  lighter 
  and 
  

   lighter. 
  Soon 
  the 
  sun 
  was 
  clear 
  again, 
  and 
  although 
  they 
  let 
  the 
  old 
  

   woman 
  up, 
  it 
  was 
  some 
  time 
  before 
  they 
  would 
  believe 
  they 
  were 
  going 
  

   to 
  live." 
  

  

  The 
  weather 
  continued 
  warm 
  and 
  very 
  dry 
  till 
  the 
  last 
  eggs 
  were 
  

   taken, 
  which 
  was 
  on 
  the 
  29th 
  of 
  April. 
  

  

  During 
  the 
  summer 
  several 
  improvements 
  were 
  made 
  about 
  the 
  sta- 
  

   tion, 
  the 
  principal 
  of 
  which 
  was 
  an 
  addition 
  to 
  the 
  dwelling-house, 
  

   which 
  was 
  very 
  much 
  needed, 
  the 
  original 
  house 
  being 
  small, 
  unfin- 
  

   ished, 
  and 
  made 
  chiefly 
  of 
  shakes. 
  

  

  Towards 
  the 
  latter 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  summer 
  the 
  trout 
  were 
  observed 
  to 
  be 
  

   dying, 
  both 
  in 
  the 
  pond 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  McCloud 
  River. 
  There 
  was 
  no 
  ap- 
  

   parent 
  cause 
  for 
  it, 
  and 
  it 
  was 
  hoped 
  at 
  first 
  that 
  it 
  was 
  only 
  a 
  tempo- 
  

   rary 
  trouble,* 
  caused 
  by 
  something 
  unwholesome 
  in 
  the 
  water, 
  the 
  

  

  *See 
  F. 
  C. 
  Bulletin, 
  1885, 
  p. 
  472. 
  

  

  