ride upon its native waves; so I drew near, and pulled out one of its
mottled tail-feathers for a remembrance. Another day, I discovered an
immense bone, wedged into a chasm of the rocks; it was at least ten
feet long, curved like a cimeter, bejewelled with barnacles and small
shell-fish, and partly covered with a growth of sea-weed. Some
leviathan of former ages had used this ponderous mass as a jawbone.
Curiosities of a minuter order may be observed in a deep reservoir,
which is replenished with water at every tide, but becomes a lake
among the crags, save when the sea is at its height. At the bottom of
this rocky basin grow marine plants, some of which tower high beneath
the water, and cast a shadow in the sunshine. Small fishes dart to
and fro, and hide themselves among the sea-weed; there is also a
solitary crab, who appears to lead the life of a hermit, communing
with none of the other denizens of the place; and likewise several
five-fingers,--for I know no other name than that which children give
them. If your imagination be at all accustomed to such freaks, you
may look down into the depths of this pool, and fancy it the
mysterious depth of ocean. But where are the hulks and scattered
timbers of sunken ships? where the treasures that old Ocean hoards?--
where the corroded cannon?--where the corpses and skeletons of seamen,
who went down in storm and battle?

On the day of my last ramble (it was a September day, yet as warm as
summer), what should I behold as I approached the above-described
basin but three girls sitting on its margin, and--yes, it is veritably
so--laving their snowy feet in the sunny water! These, these are the
warm realities of those three visionary shapes that flitted from me on
the beach. Hark! their merry voices, as they toss up the water with
their feet! They have not seen me. I must shrink behind this rock,
and steal away again.