About nine o'clock
The morning brought dismay to the negro , the carpet-bagger , and the scallawag of Ulster . A peculiar freak of weather in the early morning added to their terror . The sun rose clear and bright except for a slight fog that floated from the river valley , increasing the roar of the falls . About nine o'clock a huge black shadow suddenly rushed over Piedmont from the west , and in a moment the town was shrouded in twilight . The cries of birds were hushed and chickens went to roost as in a total eclipse of the sun . Knots of people gathered on the streets and gazed uneasily at the threatening skies . Hundreds of negroes began to sing and shout and pray , while sensible people feared a cyclone or cloud-burst .