A HERMIT'S WILD FRIENDS 



bed rock, near my tent, my thoughts went 

 back to the statement of the doctors in rela- 

 tion to my lungs. I had just ascended the 

 hill, without a long breath, and a hale, 

 hearty feeling pervaded every fibre of my 

 system. I knew, then, that my lungs were 

 all right, and thanks to Nature, I had re- 

 covered my health and stood there compara- 

 tively a well man. 



While I was yet weak, I passed many 

 hours at the Eyrie, entranced by the magnif- 

 icent panorama spread before me. I could 

 see the larger part of the city of Gloucester, 

 which extended, in a semicircle, from River- 

 dale to Eastern Point. 



Later in the season I watched the ebb and 

 flow of the tide on the marshes that border 

 Annisquam River. 



The Outer Harbor, with Ten Pound Island 

 near the entrance of the Inner Harbor, lay 

 in plain view, and the shifting scenes on its 

 restless waters possessed a fascination which 

 I could seldom resist. 



Day after day I watched the vessels of the 

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