io A Sportswoman in India 



crammed with u specials." We stationed ourselves on 

 a small mound, under some shady trees ; the eclipse 

 began about midday, when the moon could just be seen 

 overlapping the edge of the sun. Through smoked 

 glasses, telescopes, and glasses of every kind, the great 

 concourse of people gazed at it, and the excitement 

 grew intense as the moon drew farther and farther 

 across the sun. It became perceptibly cooler. The 

 thousands of spectators, watches in hand, were almost 

 breathless as i .43 p.m. approached the time of totality. 

 The sky began to turn blue-green like twilight, the 

 stretches of burnt yellow plain around us assumed 

 a brown hue, which spread over the horizon and the 

 sky immediately above it. Every man's face turned 

 a horrid, sickly yellow in the weird light. Dimmer 

 and yet more dim a hush was over the murmuring 

 crowd; 1.43, and the moon glided entirely across the 

 sun, showing us nothing but a large black body 

 hanging in the sky. Venus glimmered through the 

 green and yellow haze, and another star or two shone, 

 the grass looked more purple than before, and the 

 colour of the whole dark world was unique. . . . Two 

 minutes passed, and then suddenly a bright light flashed 

 from the edge of the moon. The Sun ! The Sun ! 

 The tension was over, a wild cheer broke simultaneously 

 from the whole throng as the brilliant edge of the 

 lord of creation slid from behind its temporary screen, 

 and once more lit the earth. A fresh breeze sprang 

 up ; the ghostly light faded gradually away ; but all 

 the rest of the day the marked coolness of the air 



