RANDOM NOTES 



Jvly'llth. 



Morning was cold, foggy, raw. East wind. Dis- 

 agreeable. Trolled out about six miles and all 

 around. Finally ran in off east end, where I caught 

 a yellow-fin. The sun came up, but the east wind 

 persisted. No fish. Came in early. 



July ISth. 



Went out early. Clear morning. Cool. Rip- 

 pling sea. Fog rolled down like a pale-gray wall. 

 Misty, veiled, vague, strange, opaque, silent, wet, 

 cold, heavy! It enveloped us. Then we went out 

 of the bank into a great circle, clear and bright, with 

 heaving, smooth sea, surrounded by fog. 



After an hour or two the fog rose and drifted away. 



We trolled nine hours. Three little fish struck at 

 the bait, but did not get the hook. 



August 6th. 



To-day I went out alone with Dan. Wonderful 

 sea. Very long, wide, deep, heaving swells, beauti- 

 ful and exhilarating to watch. No wind. Not very 

 foggy. Sunshine now and then. I watched the 

 sea — ^marveled at its grace, softness, dimpled dark 

 beauty, its vast, imponderable racing, its restless 

 heaving, its eternal motion. I learned from it. I 

 found loneliness, peace. 



Saw a great school of porpoises coming. Ran tow- 

 ard them. About five hundred all crashing in and 

 out of the great swells, making a spectacle of rare sea 

 action and color and beauty. They surrounded the 

 bow of the boat, and then pandemonium broke 

 loose. They turned to play with us, racing, diving, 



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