Summary

This story begins with a rather vivid description of a semicircular cliff overlooking the ocean. The cliff is nearly two hundred feet high. Twenty feet from the cliff's base is a cavern with an opening twenty feet high and a sloping roof that meets the floor at its rear. On either side of the cavern are reefs that jut away from the cliff and into the water.

It is almost high tide and the water is alternately rushing and retreating over the two reefs. As the water crosses the reefs and enters the cove, the waves meet and seem to chase each other toward the cliff. When they reach their destination, the waves strike the cliff's base with a mighty crash before retreating into the sea.

When the tide reaches its highest point, the violence and fury momentarily subside. The cliff...