The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1913-01-03
Describes Sensations When He
Nearly Lost His Life.
Writer Was Almost Drowned, Was
Wounded by an Arabs Spear and
Attacked With Deadly Cholera
and Still! Lives.

Lcndon.-In the course OF an ad
venturous life have been face to face
with death many times, but l recall
no more than three occasions when
[ lost hope and resigned myself to
leave 1.-The warm precincts OF the
cheerful day. says a London writer.
My actual thoughts and feelings at
these times were so different from the
generally accepted ideas on the sub
ject hat l venture to think that a
description of them may possibly be
considered of interest to many.
1t was my luck to be drowned once
upon q time-aS far as senatlon went.
1t did not happen when ! walked over
\ wharf in New York on a dark night.
nor when | found myself under on
overturned surfboat on the west coast
Of Africa, but it occurred IN a pubic
swimming bath in London, and two
friends looked on and laughed while
[ was drowning.
We had gone into the bath early
one morning after a firing night 8
work, and we three were the only &C.
cupants. was frolicking about at
the deep end, when ! was suddenly
seized with cramps and let out a
strangled shout of distress. My
friends knew that l was a good swim
mer and thinking that l was acting
the drowning man, as l had often done
before in their company, laughed at
my comical founderings and my
agonized appeals for help.
Indeed, as long as l retained con-
sciousness, my thoughts seemed to
concentrate Of their own volition, up
on the a%sininity of my companions In
not being able to see hat | really was
drowning. At no time during my
struggles was there any thought of my
past life, nor did it occur to me to
thi-k { prayer, although l was a religi-
GUS man and knew that l was very
ear death.
My last sensation was the fancy
that l beard soft, tinkling music. an
illusion hat has been explained to me
as having been caused by the water
tricklipg into my ears.
Then, again, l vas once unlucky
enough to get a couple Of inches or
SO OF a broad bladed Arab spear poked
between two of my ribs. and the
doctor told me frankly that If ] had
any dying messages to leave had bet
:er speak them while l could. as
would soon be beyond speech.
The chaplain thought that l was In
extremis. He vas not of my faith,
but he was nc narrow sectarian, and
he offered me the consultations OF my
own religion as we'll as he could. But
his voice sounded as If 1t came from
efar, and ! couldn't follow what he was
saying. only wished he would come
nearer, SO that l could make another
attempt to finish that message. II
was :. message had always INTENDED
to send before the curtain was rung
down, and it seemed to be the only
thing that matteTed.
The blood that welled up into my
mouth was che king me. and 1t was
painful-oh, SO painful!-to breathe;
but. after all. l thought, dying was not
SO bad, and l could be glad to go II
! could only finish that message.
The scene shifts now to a cholera
camp. All the seizures up to mine
had ended fatally, and ! had no hope
whatever OF any other issue. But
wasn't thinking Of the hereafter. MY
mind was entirely taken up to the ex
ciusion of everything else. with the
terrible physical agony was under
going, and l was longing for deatf
to come to put ar end to It. 1t seemed
to me that there was no boon llke
death. and | craved and longed for u
to come with all my soul.