The water was very cold. He began to be alarmed and reasoned as to whether the cold water would not stay the bleeding. From time to time he would call out to the woman to keep up hope and courage and not to struggle, but at last he saw she was exhausted. With infinite effort, swimming with his left arm, he managed to draw near to her.
"Is drowning very painful?" the woman asked.
"No," answered the officer. "Once the water rushes into the lungs one smothers."
To which the English girl answered, "Then I think I will not wait any longer. Good-bye! Good luck!"
Utterly exhausted she let her head fall over and in a moment the life-preserver was on the top and that was all that he saw.
"The next thing I remember," said the officer, "was waking up to find a nurse trying to pour a stimulant down my throat."
A destroyer had come up in response to the signals for help and picked up the survivors.
For months he was in the hospital before he could be carried to England. Even now he was not able to lift a hat from his head with his right arm, but he could write a little. This was his first voyage to test his strength to prove to the Government that he could take his old task as purser.
"How did you feel, purser, when you heard that cannon roar this morning against that submarine?"
You should have seen the fire flash in the man's eyes.