210 FRAGMENTS OF SCIENCE. 



The clouds and blue spaces fought for a time with 

 varying success. The sun was hidden and revealed at 

 intervals, hope oscillating in synchronism with the 

 changes of the sky. At the moment of first contact a 

 dense cloud intervened; but a minute or two afterwards 

 the cloud had passed, and the encroachment of the 

 black body of the moon was evident upon the solar 

 disk. The moon marched onward, and I saw it at 

 frequent intervals ; a large group of spots were ap- 

 proached and swallowed up. Subsequently I caught 

 sight of the lunar limb as it cut through the middle of 

 a large spot. The spot was not to be distinguished from 

 the moon, but rose like a mountain above it. The 

 clouds, when thin, could be seen as grey scud drifting 

 across the black surface of the moon ; but they thick- 

 ened more and more, and made the intervals of clear- 

 ness scantier. During these moments I watched with 

 an interest bordering upon fascination, the march of the 

 silver sickle of the sun across the field of the telescope. 

 It was so sharp and so beautiful. No trace of the lunar 

 limb could be observed beyond the sun's boundary. Here, 

 indeed, it could only be relieved by the corona, which 

 was utterly cut off by the dark glass. The blackness of 

 the moon beyond the sun was, in fact, confounded with 

 the blackness of space. 



Beside me was Elliot with the watch and lantern, 

 while Lieutenant Archer, of the Eoyal Engineers, had 

 the kindness to take charge of my note-book. I men- 

 tioned, and he wrote rapidly down, such things as 

 seemed worthy of remembrance. Thus my hands and 

 mind were entirely free ; but it was all to no purpose. 

 A patch of sunlight fell and rested upon the landscape 

 some miles away. It was the only illuminated spot 

 within view. But to the north-west there was still a 

 space of blue which might reach us in time. Within 



