Part: 123456789         Session: 1         Page na123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536373839404142434445464748495051525354555657585960616263646566676869707172737475767778798081828384858687888990919293949596979899100101102103104105106107108109110111112113114115116117118119120121122123124125126127128129130131132133134135136137138139140141142143144145146147148149150151152153154155156157158159160161162163164165166167168169170171172173174175176177178179180181182183184185186187188189190191192193194195196197198199200201202203204205206207208209210211212213214215216217218219220221222223224225226227228229230231232233234235236237238239240241242243244245246247248249250251252253254255256257258259260261262263264265266267268269270271272273274275276277278279280281282283284285286287288289290291292293294295296297298299300301302303304305306307308309310311312313314315316317318319320321322323324325326327328329330331332333334335336337338339340341342343344345346347348349350351352353354355356357358359360361362363364365366367368369370371372373374375376377378379380381382383384385386387388389390391392393394395396397398399400401402403404405406407408409410411412413414415416417418419420421422423424425426427428429430431432433434435436437438439440441442443444445446447448449450451452453454455456457458459460461462463464465466467468469470471472473474475476477478479480481482483484485486487488489490491492493494495496497498499500501502503504505506507508509510511512513514515516517518519520521522523524525526527528529530531532533534535536537538539540541542543544545546547548549550551552553554555556557558559560561562563564565566567568569570571572573574575576577578579580581582583584585586587588589590591592593594595596597598599600601602603604605606607608609610611612613614615616617618619620621622623624625626627628629630631632633634635636637638639640641642643644645646647648649650651652653654 of 654

seen them or heard about them from their grandfathers. He knew exactly how the troops went here and there, and exactly where the Indian massacres were and why. He knew exactly what the trading towns were and the trading routes across the valleys were. He knew it from having heard about it from the people who saw it, or sometimes from the people who heard about it from their grandfathers or the great-grandfathers. It's the same kind of knowledge that I have, for instance, about Massachusetts and Maine, which is different from the knowledge you have about places you've just read about or studied about. When your grandmother tells you that she was here at a certain time and what happened, you remember about it. My great-grandmother told my father all about the “Dark Day.” I know as much about the “Dark Day” as if I'd been there.

The “Dark Day” is the most famous day in American history. It's the great mystery day. It happened sometime in the late eighteenth century. For a whole day it was dark and nobody saw the light. The sun didn't shine. The sun didn't come out. It was dark like night. The chickens went to roost. The cattle, although roused up to be milked at four in the morning when it would be naturally dark, went out into the barn yard, as they did after they were usually milked. The sun didn't come up as usual at five