Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1898-05-12
A HARD SWIM
By WILLIAM LITTLEFORD.
WHEN 1 was college boy of IS L
wv lived in Cambridge, near Harvard

college, but every summer, when school
work was over, went to spend my va
cation with an aunt who lived in lit
tie town on the banks of the Mississip-
pi, in Tennessee.
1t was during one of these visits that
the incident which am about to relate
occurred.
The principal amusement during
the summer of the lads in the little
town where my aunt resided was swim
ming in the great broad river that near
ly encircled the village, and almost
every boy in the vicinity was an expert
swimmer.
But the best boy swimmers in town
were my cousin, Lewis Anterior, and
his particular chum and crony, Harry
Shaw.
At the time of which / write both
were aged about IA. Lewis was stout,
muscular boy, with a firm, well-set
chin, and cool, determined expression
that never forsook him under any cir
-cumStances.
His friend Harry was more slender.
but active as cat and swift of foot as
a young Indian.
AS said before, Lewis and Harry
were the best boy swimmers in town,
and several times when the day was
fine and the water smooth, they had
.swum across the river, which, at that
point is nearly mile in width; but
they had always had skiff along in
which to return.
One unusually warm day in late June
we strolled down to the river bank
above the town, and made ready for
swim.
We had just struck out into the cur
rent when we saw, some distance up the
river, a huge raft of lumber floating
down in midstream; and we decided to
swim to it, rest ourselves a little
while, and then swim back to shore.
The plan was well enough laid, but as
Burns says:
1.-THE best-laid schemes O. mice and men
gang aft agley."
We reached the raft, and, having
selected some planks on which to rest
ourselves, lay down to have chat. We
had been resting perhaps ten minutes,
and Lewis had just proposed starting
to swim back, when we were startled
by sort of bump that shook the whole
raft, and, springing up, we found, to our
dismay, that the raft had landed on the
Missouri side of the river.
1t was all very well to swim the river
as volunteer feat, with a skiff along to
take one in if he gave out; but to swim
across as matter of necessity was
quite different thing.
well, fellows, how are we going to
get back?" l asked, rather ruefully.
"Swim back, of course" said both, in
one breath.
A fresh breeze had started up, and we
saw that the longer we stayed the less
likely we would be to reach the oppo-
site shore in safety.
1t was evening. The sky had become
overcast and the breeze came in little,
irregular flaws. A storm was evidently
coming up, and storms in that region
sometimes came very rapidly. The
water out in the current showed now
and then an ominous white cap, but we
fearlessly plunged in one after the
other, like three frogs jumping off a
log.
The water seemed very cold at first
but the exercise of swimming soon
drove the chill away, and we felt quite
comfortable. The choppy waves an.
noyed us little, dashing into our faces
at the most unexpected moments, and
sometimes almost taking away our
breath.
We were more than quarter of a
mile out when the wind completely died
away. That meant squall. The west
grew darker and darker. Everything
seemed very still for awhile, and then
a distant roar was heard, and present,
ly we saw the squall coming up the
river, lashing the water with indescrib-
able fury, and bearing along q cloud
of dust and leaves.
There was no chance now but to
swim for life, and this we did with al
our life. We were more than halfway