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 Falátahs 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
darkened moon, we were scarcely less affected by the savage gestures of
those within a few yards of us and by their repeated cries, so wild, so
loud, and so piercing, that an indescribable sensation of horror stole
over us, and rendered us almost as nervous as those whom we had come to
comfort. The earlier part of the evening had been mild, serene, and
remarkably pleasant; the moon had arisen with uncommon lustre, and being
at the full, her appearance was extremely delightful. It was the
conclusion of the holidays, and many of the people were enjoying the
delicious coolness of a serene night, and resting from the laborious
exertions of the day; but when the moon became gradually obscured, fear
overcame every one. As the eclipse increased, they became more
terrified. All ran in great distress to inform their sovereign of the
circumstance, for there was not a single cloud to cause so deep a
shadow, and they could not comprehend the nature or meaning of an
eclipse. The king was as easily frightened as his people, being equally
simple and ignorant; he would not therefore suffer them to depart.
Numbers sometimes beget courage and confidence, he thought; so he
commanded them to remain near his person, and to do all in their power
to restore the lost glory of the moon.