e reason so many people drown is
because directly they come to the surface they raise their hands above
their head and shout for help. This is fatal. The moment the hands are
raised out of the water the body will sink below the surface.

Another thing to remember is to keep the mouth closed until the body
attains the floating position; then try and breathe naturally through
the mouth and help propel yourself with your hands. Should you be able
to swim, try and take off your outer clothing, as the latter, when
water-soaked, tends to drag the body down, besides retarding the
movements of the drowning person.

To risk one's life in order to save a fellow being from drowning is one
of the most heroic acts that one may be called upon to perform, yet how
many of us have the presence of mind and courage to act in such an
emergency? To rescue a person from drowning is no child's play, even for
the best swimmers; it requires pluck, nerve and stamina. Of course, I
allude to rescues which take place some distance from shore. Many a
daring swimmer has been clutched and dragged down to death simply
because he did not know the safest way to approach a drowning person.

Of the many different ways of saving life, the safest and best method is
to swim as near the person as possible, then dive under and come up
behind him; otherwise he is liable to grab you around the neck with a
death clutch, from which it is extremely difficult to escape. When
swimming up behind the person, grab his biceps and force him on his
back; the more he struggles the more he helps himself to keep afloat.

To prevent being clutched by a drowning person the following rules
should be carefully studied. Every action, however, must be prompt and
decisive, otherwise this method will be of no avail.

[Illustration: THE BEST METHOD OF SAVING LIFE]

1. If grasped by the wrists, turn both arms simultaneously against the
drowning person, thumbs outward, and attempt to bring your right arms at
right angles to your own body. This will dislocate the thumbs of the
drowning person and he must let go his hold.

2. If clutched around the neck, immediately take a deep breath, lean
well over your opponent, place the left hand in the small part of his
back and draw your right arm in an upward direction until in line with
his shoulder, and pass it at once over his arm. Then with the thumb and
forefinger catch his nose and pinch the nostrils close, at the same time
place the p