208 A Mock-Sun. rwoTcmbcr, ises. 



sides of the island far down southward. Nearly the whole entrance 

 to Repulse Bay from Beach Point easterly, had land looming- up 

 above the sea-horizon in a thousand fantastic and constantly-changing- 

 forms. Before and at sunrise a zone of about five degrees in width 

 from the horizon up was of resplendent colors, extending completely 

 around the heavens ; that half of the circle which was opposite the sun 

 being the more gorgeous. On the going down of the sun the glow- 

 ing zone was again in view. Such a display- is not unusual in fine 

 weather during the Arctic winter. 



At 1 1 a. m. of the 30th, he was on the top of Oven Hill, riewing the 

 sun and a splendid parhelion 22 J degrees east of it. On account of the 

 cloudiness of the heavens, there was no corresponding parhelion visi- 

 ble on the opposite or west side of the sun. In fifteen minutes after 

 the time given above, the sun became completely obscured by clouds ; 

 but the parhelion continued shining almost as brightly as though it 

 were the great luminary itself. Thinking to improve the occasion in 

 determining the illusion to be a complete one, he hastened down to the 

 ifjloo, called Ebierbing and Ar-mou, and requested them to point out 

 to him where the sun was. They both pointed directly to the parhe- 

 lion with the utmost confidence that it was the true sun; their very 

 looks at him bespoke the unmistakable sentiment, "Any man that is 

 not blind can see that there is the sun ! " Hall smiled, and then his 

 " good native friends " scanned to the right and left of what they 

 really thought to be the sun ; but their assurance remained the same. He 

 tli<)i pointed 22 J degrees to the west of the phenomenon and told them 

 that ill ih;it direction was the sun. "At this time it wanted only fifteen 

 niiiiutcs (.f Ijciug apparent noon, when, of course, the sun would be 

 due south of them. A moment's reflection on the part of Ebierbing and 



