ps_--A drowning person is always a frightened person, and is
governed by a mad instinct to grab anything which subconsciously he
thinks may save his life. Usually he is past any reasoning. He grabs his
would-be rescuer with a death grip that is hard to break, but remember
he instinctively grabs what is above the surface and will not try to
grab below the shoulders.

_Wrist Grip_--If the drowning person grasps the rescuer's wrists, the
rescuer throws both hands above his head, which forces both low in the
water, and then turns the leverage of his arms against the other's
thumbs and breaks the grip.

_Neck Grip_--To release a grip around the neck and shoulders from the
front, immediately cover the mouth of the other with the palm of the
hand, holding the nose between the first two fingers, and at the same
time pull the other body toward you with the other hand, meanwhile
treading water. Then take a full breath and apply your knee to the
other's stomach quickly, thus forcing him to expel any air in his lungs
and preventing him from getting more air by the hand on mouth and
nostrils.

If the grip of the drowning person does not allow use of the arms, then
try to raise your arms to the level of the shoulder, thus slipping his
arms to the neck and leaving your own arms free to use, as described.

_Back Grip_--This strangle hold is perhaps the most difficult to break,
and it is necessary to break it instantly if the rescuer is not also to
be in the rescued class.

Grasp the wrists of the other and push sharply back with the buttocks
against the abdomen of the other, and thus make room to slip suddenly
out of the encircling arms.

If this is not successful, do not despair, but throw the head suddenly
against the nose of the drowning person and then slip out of the grip
before he recovers from his daze.

It is often necessary to dive from the surface in rescuing a drowning
person, and this requires practice, and should be learned thoroughly
before the necessity for saving a life is presented. Remember that to
dive from the surface to a depth of more than ten feet will usually
require a weight in addition to the weight of the body. Carry a stone or
other heavy object in diving. Then when wishing to rise to the surface,
drop it and push against the bottom with the feet. This will send the
swimmer to the surface in short order.

In carrying a weight in the water, carry it low on the body, close to
the waist line, leaving