It was past midnight and one of the darkest nights I have
ever known. The sea was rather calm but a good breeze astern caused the
ship to make good headway. I was all alone and paced back and forth from
side to side peering out into space and darkness ahead. Occasionally, I
would remain for several minutes leaning against one of the railings.
Except for the splashing of the sea against the side of the ship, all
was quiet. As I stood in one of my meditative moods, looking straight
ahead, I was suddenly attracted by something which caused me to turn
quickly and look in the opposite direction, and then I observed the
forms of four men coming quickly toward me, but before I realized their
object or had time to speak, they grabbed me by the arms and legs. I
struggled furiously for several moments and freeing my hands, dealt one
of them a vicious punch which felled him to the deck, and it seemed for
awhile that I would shake them all off, when suddenly I received a
terrible blow on the side of my head which partially stunned me, and
during the instant of inactivity on my part I was raised bodily high in
the air and plunged overboard into the waters below.
CHAPTER III
It was in a semi-conscious state that I struck the water head foremost,
and it was by instinct, I suppose, that I immediately started to swim
away from the side of the vessel.
Although I was a powerful swimmer it seemed as if I should never reach
the surface again. The sudden and unexpected plunge had caused me to go
into the sea with my mouth open and thereby swallow a large quantity of
salt water.
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