ore
was crowded. Most of the people had finished bathing, and were spread
about the sands drying their back hair and reading their papers. One
adventurous bather, however, remained in the water. I had anxiously
watched him swim round the pier-head and back, ready--longing--to see
him cast his hands above his head and hang out other signals of
distress. But it seemed I was again to be disappointed. He came in
swimming easily, and mightily pleased with himself and his performance.
He was about twenty yards off his machine and I was beginning to give
him up, when to my delight I saw his hands go up and his head go down,
and heard what I fondly hoped was a yell of despair.

In a moment--two moments, I should say, for one of my boots was not
quite enough unlaced--I was floundering in the water in my flannel shirt
and trousers, striking out wildly for the spot where he had disappeared.
I had gathered from the authorities I had consulted that heroes, under
these circumstances, got over distances in a shorter time than it takes
to record it. This was not my experience. It took me a long time to
get half the way, and by that time my clothes were very heavy and I was
very tired. Moreover, my man was still invisible.

Of course I could not turn back. Even if I did not succeed in fishing
him out, it was a "gallant attempt," which would be almost as good.
Partly to see how the crowd was taking it, and partly to rest myself, I
turned over on my back and floated. This do doubt was a tactical error;
for as a rule a hero does not float out to save any one's life. In my
case it did not much matter, for the first thing I perceived as I turned
was my drowning man's head bobbing up merrily between me and the shore,
having enjoyed his long dive and wholly unaware of the "gallant attempt"
which was being made to rescue him from a watery grave.

As he caught sight of me, however, floundering on my back, and scarcely
able to keep my head up for the weight of my clothes, his face became
alarmed. "Hold up a second!" he shouted. Half a dozen strong strokes
brought him to my side, and before I could explain or decline, he had
gripped me by the two shoulders and was punting me ignominiously towards
the shore.

It was a painful situation for me; the more so that I was quite done up
and scarcely able to stagger out of the water into the arms of my
affrighted relatives.

"Lay him on his back and work his arms up and down till you get