I had been in the water about an hour， and cold，exhausted， with a terrible cramp in my right calf， it seemedas though my hour had come. Fruitlessly strugglingagainst the strong ebb tide， I had beheld the maddeningprocession of the water-front lights slip by， but now I gaveup attempting to breast the stream and contended myselfwith the bitter thoughts of a wasted career， now drawingto a close.
It had been my luck to come of good， English stock， butof parents whose account with the bankers far exceededtheir knowledge of child-nature and the rearing of children.
While born with a silver spoon in my mouth， the blessedatmosphere of the home circle was to me unknown. Myfather， a very learned man and a celebrated antiquarian，gave no thought to his family， being constantly lost in theabstractions of his study； while my mother， noted far morefor her good looks than her good sense， sated herself withthe adulation of the society in which she was perpetuallyplunged. I went through the regular school and collegeroutine of a boy of the English bourgeoisie， and as theyears brought me increasing strength and passions， myparents suddenly became aware that I was possessed of animmortal soul， and endeavoured to draw the curb. But itwas too late； I perpetrated the wildest and most audaciousfolly， and was disowned by my people， ostracised by thesociety I had so long outraged， and with the thousandpounds my father gave me， with the declaration that hewould neither see me again nor give me more， I took afirst-class passage to Australia.
Since then my life had been one long peregrination—from the Orient to the Occident， from the Arctic tothe Antarctic—to find myself at last， an able seaman atthirty， in the full vigour of my manhood， drowning in SanFrancisco bay because of a disastrously successful attemptto desert my ship.
My right leg was drawn up by the cramp， and I wassuffering the keenest agony. A slight breeze stirred up achoppy sea， which washed into my mouth and down mythroat， nor could I prevent it. Though I still contrived tokeep afloat， it was merely mechanical， for I was rapidlybecoming unconscious. I have a dim recollection ofdrifting past the sea-wall， and of catching a glimpse of anupriver steamer’s starboard light； then everything becamea blank.
I heard the low hum of insect life， and felt the balmyair of a spring morning fanning my cheek. Gradually itassumed a rhythmic flow， to whose soft pulsations mybody seemed to respond. I floated on the gentle bosom ofa summer’s sea， rising and falling with dreamy pleasure oneach crooning wave. But the pulsations grew stronger； thehumming， louder； the waves， larger， fiercer—I was dashedabout on a stormy sea. A great agony fastened upon me.
Brilliant， intermittent sparks of light flashed athwart myinner consciousness； in my ears there was the sound ofmany waters； then a sudden snapping of an intangiblesomething， and I awoke.
The scene， of which I was protagonist， was a curiousone. A glance sufficed to inform me that I lay on the cabinfloor of some gentleman’s yacht， in a most uncomfortableposture. On either side， grasping my arms and workingthem up and down like pump handles， were two peculiarlyclad， dark-skinned creatures. Though conversant withmost aboriginal types， I could not conjecture theirnationality. Some attachment had been fastened about myhead， which connected my respiratory organs with themachine I shall next describe. My nostrils， however， hadbeen closed， forcing me to breathe through my mouth.
Foreshortened by the obliquity of my line of vision， Ibeheld two tubes， similar to small hosing but of differentcomposition， which emerged from my mouth and wentoff at an acute angle from each other. The first came toan abrupt termination and lay on the floor beside me； thesecond traversed the floor in numerous coils， connectingwith the apparatus I have promised to describe.
In the days before my life had become tangential， I haddabbled not a little in science， and， conversant with theappurtenances and general paraphernalia of the laboratory，I appreciated the machine I now beheld. It was composedchiefly of glass， the construction being of that crude sortwhich is employed for experimentative purposes. A vesselof water was surrounded by an air chamber， to which wasfixed a vertical tube， surmounted by a globe. In the centreof this was a vacuum gauge. The water in the tube movedupwards and downwards， creating alternate inhalationsand exhalations， which were in turn communicated tome through the hose. With this， and the aid of the menwho pumped my arms， so vigorously， had the process ofbreathing been artificially carried on， my chest rising andfalling and my lungs expanding and contracting， till naturecould be persuaded to again take up her wonted labour.
As I opened my eyes the appliance about my head，nostrils and mouth was removed. Draining a stiff threefingers of brandy， I staggered to my feet to thank mypreserver， and confronted—my father. But long yearsof fellowship with danger had taught me self-control，and I waited to see if he would recognise me. Not so； hesaw in me no more than a runaway sailor and treated meaccordingly.
Leaving me to the care of the blackies， he fell to revisingthe notes he had made on my resuscitation. As I ate of thehandsome fare served up to me， confusion began on deck，and from the chanteys of the sailors and the rattling ofblocks and tackles I surmised that we were getting underway. What a lark！ Off on a cruise with my recluse fatherinto the wide Pacific！ Little did I realise， as I laughedto myself， which side the joke was to be on. Aye， had Iknown， I would have plunged overboard and welcomedthe dirty fo’c’sle from which I had just escaped.