Chapter VI 

 SOME FRIENDS IN ARMOR 



If It so happens that the tide Is favorable, the early 

 light of an August dawn not infrequently finds me rest- 

 ing athwart the stern of my little boat, idly drifting in 

 the shallow waters close to the harbor shore. Here 

 the placidity of the sea, the companionable cries of the 

 breakfast-hunting crows and gulls circling above the 

 beach, the cool morning air dissolving the rising mists 

 that hover along the cove, conspire to give an ardent 

 glow to the enthusiasm with which I pursue my am- 

 bitious quest. For on the present occasion whereof 

 I write, my early morning adventure has a more definite 

 object than that of general observation. 



Still, the familiar, pleasing details of the scene do not 

 escape me regardless of the smaller compass that re- 

 quires my attention. Even the sea seems now to be in 

 its most delightful mood. Later, when the full heat 

 of the day sets in, my motionless, open boat exposed 

 to the direct rays of the seething sun becomes a veri- 

 table griddle; but in the present propitious hour, the 

 temperature stirs the blood. And as I gaze into that 

 wonderland over which I float, its serene and refresh- 

 ing aspect quickens my very perceptions. 



Among the water grasses and swaying seaweeds, I 



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