44 THE INDIAN ECLIPSE, 1898. 



plete, and that in a small way we were to make our bivouac on 

 the Indian plains. It only added to the fun that a bed or two 

 had that night to be laid on clean straw, and to find next morning 

 that there was as yet but one basin to go the round of the 

 party. We soon got things into shape, and ere the main body 

 joined us, after tiffin the next day, the camp was in full swing ; a 

 dinner of many, if unknown, courses was served in the mess 

 tent, and that night the entire expedition slept soundly on 

 their own ground through the strange silence broken only by 

 the bark of the jackal in the bush jungle and the practised 

 cough of the party of '* chowkidars " who mounted guard over us. 



The morning of the eventful day broke fine and clear. A few 

 days previously some anxiety had been aroused by the alarming 

 tidings that the customary three days of Christmas rain had 

 been unaccountably delayed, and might yet be almost hourly 

 expected ; and when, for two or three evenings, ominous clouds 

 had begun piling themselves against the sky at sundown, 

 forebodings of a repetition of the Norway disappointment 

 perforce entered our minds. But our fears were groundless, as 

 one glance at the pure blue sky in the early hours of Saturday, 

 January 22nd, sufficed to show. We were to see the eclipse on 

 this occasion, and the camp was astir betimes. 



A dress rehearsal of the eclipse programme had been held the 

 previous day, at the hour when the sun reached that position in 

 the heavens which it was calculated to occupy at the period of 

 totality ; observers therefore could afford to prepare for their 

 several tasks in a leisurely and thorough manner, and we were 

 free from all flurry or fatigue. For all this, considerable excite- 

 ment ran round the camp when Mr. Hebert, whose eye had for 

 some time been glued to the small end of his telescope, presently 

 looked round and announced " First Contact." 



About this period, also, visitors to our camp began to arrive. 

 Col. Strahan, an old friend and very talented member of the 

 Norway eclipse expedition, had already come to offer any needed 

 help, and now our observing force gained three other valuable 

 allies. Col. Sinclair, R.E., having read over the syllabus 

 of work that had been mapped out for our station, elected to 

 make observations and sketches by aid of a fine field-glass from 

 a neighbouring lofty semaphore stage ; Mr. Willoughby Meares, 

 F.R.A.S., also joined forces, while Mr. Cargill undertook the 

 task of watching for shadow bands on his own pukka, tennis- 

 court, admirably adapted for this purpose. A note arrived from 

 Lord Rosse inquiring for accommodation in our camp ; and next 

 Mr. Babbington-Sinith, the Viceroy's private Secretary, called 

 in person inviting me to lunch with his Excellency after the 

 eclipse, and to take an animatograph picture of the brilliant 

 gathering that would then be assembled. Representatives from 

 the Indian Press and from the native observatory of Madras 



