The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1912-11-23

From Answers. London.
TN the course of an adventurous life
/ have been face to face with death
i many times, but | can recall no more
than three occasions when I lost hope and
resigned myself to leave the warm pre-
cincts of the cheerful day.
My actual thoughts and feelings at these
tines were so different from the generally
accepted ideas on the subject that | ven
tured to think that a description of them
may possibly be considered of interest TO
many
II was my luck to be drowned once upon
a time-as far as sensation went. 1t did
not happen when ] walked over wharf
in New York on a dark night, nor when
fornd myself under an overturned SURF
boat on the west coast of Africa. but it
occurred in a public swimming bath in
London, and two friends looked on and
Ia ughed while | was drowning.
We hads gone into the bath early one
morning, after firing nights work. and
we three were the only occupants. |
was frolicking about at the deep end,
when | was suddenly seized with cramp
and let out a strangled shout of distress.
NY friends knew that | was good SWIM
mer, and thinking that / was acting the
drowning man, as had often done before
in their company, laughed at my comical
fornderings and my agonized appeals for
help.
One of them remarked admiringly that
he had never seen anything SO much like
the real thing, and said that, If he hadn't
known me, | would certainly have kid
ded'' him to come to my assistance
1 must have been just on the point of
losing consciousness when he said that.
hut | heard and appreciated the remark
perfectly. and ! can recall that | Won
dered at the time how he would feel when
he saw my dead body fished out
Indeed. as long as l retained conscious
ness. my thoughts seemed to concentrate,
OF their own volition, upon the asininity
of my companions in not being able TO
see that l really was drowning. AT no
time during my struggles was there any
thought of my past life, nor did it occur
TO me to think a prayer, although I was
a religious man and knew that was very
near DEATH
NV last StnSdtiDU was liit AdhN5 nav
| heard SOFT tinking music, an illusion
that has been explained to me as having
been caused by the water trickling into
my ears.
Then. again. | was once unluclSy enough
TO get couple of inches or so of a broad
Lladed Arab spear poked between two OF
nv ribs. and the doctor told me frankly
THAT, If l had any dying messages to
leave, | had better speak them while /
could, as / would soon be beyond speech.
A good old padre, who happened to be in
the vicinity. volunteered to write them
down for me and to see that they were
duly sent to those they were addressed
10; but he had hardly gbt out his pocket
book and commenced to write when my
mouth filled with frothy blood, and my
tongue seemed to be paralyzed. 1t was
more than | could do to make articuate
utteraace.
| The chaplain thought that | was in ex-
| tremis He was not of my faith, but he
was no narrow sectarian. and he offered
me the consultations of my own religion as
well as he could. But his voice sounded
as If it came from afar and 1 couldn't
follow what he was saying. only
wished he would come nearer, so that l
could make another attempt to finish that
message. 1t was a message I had always
intended TO send before the curtain was
rung down, and it seemed to be the only
thing that mattered.
The blood that weled up into my mouth
was choking me, and it was painful-oh,.
SO painful.-to breathe; but. after all,
thoushb dying was not so bad, and 1