Dark, steep rocks shelved to deep waters, and The 

 to all ordinary appearance there was nothing Tides - 

 to indicate the slightest variance between flow 

 and ebb. Even a Morean Greek declared 

 'there is no flood, no ebb, here.' 



But, in our own home - waters, what 

 marvellous changes take place under the 

 strong continuous pull of the lunar reins. 

 Think of wind and flood-tide on the Channel 

 coasts, with the strange sound as of a mur- 

 murous host confusedly marching : think of 

 the daily two-fold flooding of estuaries, and 

 the sinuous invasion of the sea past curving 

 banks and among remote inland meadows. 

 Are rivers not enhanced in mystery when 

 through the downward flow a salt serpentine 

 envoy from the distant sea forces its way, 

 revealing itself in circuitous eddies, in dark 

 revolving rings, in troubled surface - seethe : 

 bringing to the flags and rushes, to the leaning 

 grasses and gold kingcup and purple mallow 

 that salt lip, which a score or half-score miles 

 away had been laid on the sea-grapes of the 

 bladder-wrack, or on the slow-involving tresses 

 of the twisting long-weed. Then there is that 

 miraculous halt, when the cold hand of the 

 tide can reach no farther : when at a boat's 

 helm a curl of dark brackish water will 

 indolently lapse, while at the prow the clear- 



43 



