The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1908-12-11
FLUNG into THE SEA
Experience Of a Man Struggling
In Midocecn.
SENSATIONS OF DROWNING

A Tansls Of Wild Thoughts combinse
With Vague Notions Of Time ano
spaes-The Dreamy Doxs, the Res.
cue and the knife In His Back,
Standing on a chair near the deck
rail- OF an ocean liner. a sudden lurch
OF the vessel flung me into the Atlantic
lnstinctively as went over l held my
arms out for the dive, and while was
still falling l heard the cry ring out,
MAN overboardy'
Down. down sank. for the fall was
from considerable height. Being able
to swim little, was spared the first
mental agony experienced by the non.
swimmer who unexpectedly finds him.
self In deep water. The surprise
caused by the suddenness Of the fall
filled my brain. but a. I struggled to
regain the surface, my lungs almost
bursting, the horrible thought of the
propeller churning out its 100 revolu.
lions minute flashed upon me.
Should be mangled beyond recogni.
ton in second? oh, for another years
sweet life! Would my leg be cut clean
OF or
I could see the sky again, and took
a great breath Of fresh air, though sick
with fear. Then I saw the steamer
had passed. l was spared mutilation
to die slowly by drowning.
How rapidly the steamer was vanish.
Ing! could catch a glimpse of 1t
when a green wave lifted me high in
the water. l would only be able to
swim for ten minutes-ten little min
utes!-though was still in the prime
Of life. Surely that cry as I fell would
have rodsed somebody to action! And
yet l was alone in the Atlantic, with
possibly two miles Of water between
me and the bottom.
looked round anxiously to see
whether lifebuoy had been thrown
There was nothing in sight but wide
waste Of water and the fast disappear
ing steamer.
My arms were growing heavy. All
tried to do was to keep my head above
water. but l seemed to have been do
ing that for an hour. M legs. too.
were refusing to bend. The end could
not be far away.
My arms must both be broken, for
they would hardly move, and they
ached terribly. What a long time a
man could keep afioat! I was vaguely
glad I could not swim very well, be.
cause 1t would have meant waiting for
the end such a long time. 1t made one
drowsy.
Another wave lifted mo up, and I
saw the steamer had changed its posi-
ton. It must be going back to Eng
land to tell them at home what had
happened to me. How soothing the
sea was! II only could stop trying to
work my arms that aching pain in
them would cease and I might 20 to
sleep.
Sometimes when saw the ship,
which never seemed to get any farther
away now, remembered, was fight.
ing for another minutes life. It had
been harder at frst but now the sea
lulled me into happiness.
What on earth were they playing at
on the steamer? had nearly caught it
up again, only somehow had got I'm
front Of it It grew: bigger quickly.
and It Was coming strxight- on. If
those ridiculous people were not care.
full they might run over me yet.
Perhaps it would be better to go to
sleep. after all. My arms were easier.
and did not want to breathe so much
now. 1t was getting dark and ever SO
much colder than it was last night.
The steward must give me an extra
blanket.
Why was everything so hazy and the
room stuffy? could hardly breathe.
And yet it didn't matter. Nothing
mattered. but wished dreamily that
some one would stop digging knife
into my back. for I was Just dropping
of to sleep nicely.
..
Next day found tho 'knife'' had
been the point Of a boat hook with
which they picked me up as came to
the surface. The steamer had turned
in circle and arrived Just in Tine
London Answers.