fell among the rocks, or got caught by the rising tide.

But the dearest friend of all was a sea-gull. Davy found him, with a
broken wing, and nursed him carefully till he was well; then let him go,
though he was very fond of "Little Gulliver," as he called him in fun.
But the bird never forgot the boy, and came daily to talk with him,
telling all manner of wild stories about his wanderings by land and sea,
and whiling away many an hour that otherwise would have been very
lonely.

Old Dan was Davy's uncle,--a grim, gray man, who said little, did his
work faithfully, and was both father and mother to Davy, who had no
parents, and no friends beyond the island. That was his world; and he
led a quiet life among his playfellows,--the winds and waves. He seldom
went to the main land, three miles away; for he was happier at home. He
watched the sea-anemones open below the water, looking like
fairy-plants, brilliant and strange. He found curious and pretty shells,
and sometimes more valuable treasures, washed up from some wreck. He saw
little yellow crabs, ugly lobsters, and queer horse-shoes with their
stiff tails. Sometimes a whale or a shark swam by, and often sleek black
seals came up to bask on the warm rocks. He gathered lovely sea-weeds of
all kinds, from tiny red cobwebs to great scalloped leaves of kelp,
longer than himself. He heard the waves dash and roar unceasingly; the
winds howl or sigh over the island; and the gulls scream shrilly as they
dipped and dived, or sailed away to follow the ships that came and went
from all parts of the world.

With Nep and Gulliver he roamed about his small kingdom, never tired of
its wonders; or, if storms raged, he sat up in the tower, safe and dry,
watching the tumult of sea and sky. Often in long winter nights he lay
awake, listening to the wind and rain, that made the tower rock with
their violence; but he never was afraid, for Nep nestled at his feet,
Dan sat close by, and overhead the great lamp shone far out into the
night, to cheer and guide all wanderers on the sea.

Close by the tower hung the fog-bell, which, being wound up, would ring
all night, warningly. One day Dan found that something among the chains
was broken; and, having vainly tried to mend it, he decided to go to the
town, and get what was needed. He went once a week, usually, and left
Davy behind; for in the daytime there was nothing to do, and the boy was
not afraid to stay.

"A heavy fog is blowing up: