THE SENSATIONS OF A DROWNING MAN.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5961, 28 August 1897, Page 7

THE SENSATIONS OF A DROWNING MAN.

(Casseli's Faviily Magazine.) " Drowning is a pleasant death" is a remark constantly made by those who never gulped down salt water into the delicate tissues of their lungs. * * * As a lad I was bathing in rough weather on the beach of a watering-place in Northern Frauce. Swept out to sea, I struggled, sank, became insensible, and was saved by the courage and skill of a gallant Frenchman — who wrote his name that day in my mother's New Testament as a memorial of the rescue. This was all. The circumstances were ordinary. A thousand such may occur every year. Psychologically, however, there are points of interest which arise principally from the fact that I remember all that happened during a period of timtj which may have been four or five minutes, but which appeared to be as many hours. Almost immediately I entered the water, the much resounding roar of the waves struck me as desolating and sorrowful — full of foreboding and terror. Ashamed of this fancy, I instinctively but foolishly fought my way seawards, and was promptly oufc of my depth ; not because I intended to run any risk; for I could not swim, but because the strong current had scooped oufc a hollow'ih the Sandy bottom, whicli had six feet of water on the top of it. Tumbled over, by the waves, the concentrated agony- of -the moment- when- the water closed over my head' for the first time canuot be described. It was the bitterest point of the struggle. Cruel and omnipotent force, without warning or reason, surrounded mo, and my frantic and determined efforts to escape only increased the pent-up passion to cease holding my breath and to inhale once more. I felt instinctively, as I writhed in the cold, black water, thafc if once I succumbed to the temptation to expel my breath, which almost burst the ribs in my angry efforts to retain it, the end would come ; that I should be compelled to breathe inwards while covered with the pressing- salt water. At this time I must have given way, and the dreaded stream of air-bubbles rose to the surface. A few weeks before I had watched the drowning of a cat in the clear water of a running stream. The animal was tethered to a stone, and had fought with upturned face for liberty. When the bubbles rose in a silver fountain from the corners of its mouth, it stood at the bottom swaying in the gentle current, turned over, and

after ono final struggle gave \ip the olior-r-. This scene came vividly before uio. I thought of this wretched cat, and wns half amused to think that my case was the case of the cat. There was no fear ; the actual circumstances filled my attention, and the piteous longing to escape and tlie inability of my efforts suddenly became subordinated to the feeling of intolerable pain. Eyes, chest, limbs, were all one solid pain. Just then I touched the sandy bottom with my lingers and knee, and hastily snatched a handful of sand and water to thrust in my mouth to end this struggle for air. All I wanted was .to end the pain. No thought of death, except ns an interesting and immaterial factor in the situation, came over me. It is true that I remembered that I should be missed when dinner-time came, and I was found missing ; and thinking of the home people, I thought of a blue tie I had left on a chest of drawers in my bedroom, which I had intended to piit on Then, suddenly, I found my eyes above water for a second, and I saw two blurred figures near. On this I sank again, and was conscious of relaxing effort and sinking out of a conscious state to one in which one dreamed without knowing what the dreams were. From this I awoke m great pain in the centre of a crowd on the beach, whither my rescuer had borne me. My first thought was one of infinite and unreasoning shame; but the nausea caused by swallowing so much salt water quickly brought mo back to earth again.

Lady (engaging housemaid): "We. are all vegetarians, and should expect you to become one. Have you any objection ?" Housemaid : " Well, mum, it all depends. Is beer a vegetable ?"