ties; and therefore that, having watched
for a favourable opportunity, she had this evening deserted her usual
track, and entered into that of the sun. She had not, however, travelled
far up the sky, on the forbidden road, before the circumstance was
discovered by the sun, who immediately hastened to her in his anger, and
punished her dereliction by clothing her in darkness, forcing her back
to her own territories, and forbidding her to shed her light upon the
earth. This story, whimsical as it may seem, was received with implicit
confidence in its truth by the king and queen and most of the people of
Boossa; and the cause of the noises which we had heard, and which were
still continuing with renewed vehemence, was explained to us by the fact
that they were all 'assembled together in the hope of being able to
frighten away the sun to his proper sphere, and leave the moon to
enlighten the world as at other times.' This is much after the manner of
many savage nations.

"While our informant was yet speaking to us, a messenger arrived at our
yard from the king, to tell us the above tale, and with an invitation to
come to see him immediately. Therefore, slipping on the remainder of our
clothes, we followed the man to the residence of his sovereign, from
outside of which the cries proceeded, and here we found the king and his
timid partner sitting on the ground. Their usual good spirits and
cheerful behaviour had forsaken them entirely; both appeared overwhelmed
with apprehension, and trembled at every joint. Like all their subjects,
in the hurry of fear and the suddenness of the alarm, they had come out
of their dwellings half dressed, the head and legs, and the upper part
of their persons, being entirely exposed. We soon succeeded in quelling
their fears, or at least in diminishing, their apprehension. The king
then observed, that neither himself nor the oldest of his subjects
recollected seeing but one eclipse of the moon besides the one he was
gazing at; that it had occurred exactly when the Falatahs began to be
formidable in the country, and that it had forewarned them of all the
wars, disasters, and calamities, which subsequently took place.

"We had seated ourselves opposite to the king and queen, and within two
or three feet of them, where we could readily observe the moon and the
people without inconvenience, and carry on the conversation at the same
time. If the royal couple shuddered, with terror on beholding the