e.
Hesitation meant failure, so, running down to the water's edge, I
began to undress quickly. All at once it struck me that it would be
foolish to wrap all my earthly belongings in one bundle, for, should
it come to grief on the way over, I should have a decidedly cool time
of it after my arrival at the other bank of the river.

Besides, it would be most undignified to be compelled to walk up to a
German sentry and address him thus: "Please, sir, I am suffering from
loss of memory and seem to have mislaid my clothes; would you be good
enough to supply me with a few, as fig trees do not abound in these
parts?"

Therefore, spreading my sodden waterproof on the ground, I deposited
in it my tunic, shoes and now half-empty pack. Stuffing all the vacant
space tightly with grass, I secured the corners by binding them
together with my braces and bits of torn handkerchief. To complete the
operation, I fastened my souvenir walking-stick (which, though large
and clumsy, was exceedingly precious) to the bottom of the bundle in
order to improve its floating capacities. Passing through the thin
edging of reed-grass, I stepped into the shallow water and felt my
feet sink into the deep mud, which gurgled hungrily and sent little
lines of bubbles up to the surface. In a few strides I was out of my
depth and amid the swirling eddies, which sought to drag me off down
stream.

Fortunately the water was warm and the bundle floated well.
Considering the fact that I had already been tramping for eight days
on short rations, it is not surprising that I found swimming against a
steady wind to be very tiring. I kept the bundle well ahead by giving
it a good push every few strokes, when I overtook it. After swimming
for several minutes, I unconsciously changed my direction a little, at
the same time giving the bundle another push ahead. At this part the
river curved slightly, and the result was that the wind caught my
worldly belongings and whirled them off down stream. Signalling to the
engine-room for full speed ahead, I dashed off in pursuit, soon
overtaking the runaway bundle. By this time, being very out of breath,
I hung on to it, and was delighted to find that it would practically
support me. I had been swimming for some little time and it seemed
probable that my objective would not be far away, so, looking up at
the stars and noting where the west lay, I raised myself in the water
and looked for the opposite bank. Curiously enough, i