202 TH E HOME, FARM AND BUSINESS CYCLOPAEDIA. 



On sandy shores the most fertile source of holes is to be found in large 

 stones. They sink rather deeply into the sand and form miniature rocks, 

 round which the water courses as the tides ebb and flow, thus cutting a 

 channel completely round the stone. Even when the stone is removed, the 

 hole will remain unfilled throughout several tides. 



The next best place for learning to swim, is a river with a fine sandy 

 bed, clear water, and no weeds. 



AVhen such a spot has been found, the next care is to examine the bed 

 of the river, and to remove very carefully everything that might hurt the 

 feet. If bushes should grow on the banks, look out carefully for broken 

 scraps of boughs, which fall into the stream, become saturated with water, 

 sink to the bottom, and become fixed to one of the points upwards. 



If human habitations should be near, beware of broken glass and crock- 

 ery ; fragments of which are generally flung into the river, and will inflict 

 most dangerous wounds if trodden on. If the bed of the stream should be 

 in the least muddy, look out for mussels, which lie imbedded almost to 

 their sharp edges, that project upwards and cut the feet nearly as badly as 

 broken glass. 



Failing sea and river, a pond or canal is the only resource, and furnishes 

 the very worst kind of water. The bed of most ponds is studded with all 

 kinds of cutting and piercing objects, which are thrown in by careless boys, 

 and remain where they fell. Then, the bottom is almost invariably muddy, 

 and the water is seldom clean. Still, bad as is a pond, it is better than 

 nothing, and the intending swimmer may console himself with the reflec- 

 tion that he is doing his duty, and with the prospect of swimming in the 

 sea some time or other. 



Of course the large public baths possess some of the drawbacks of ponds; 

 but they have, at all events, the advantage of a regulated depth, a firm 

 bank, and no mud. 



As the very essence of swimming lies in confidence, it is always better 

 for the learner to feel secure that he can leave the water whenever he 

 likes. Therefore, let him take a light rope of tolerable length, tie one end 

 to some firm object on the bank, and let the rest of the rope lie in the 

 water. " Manilla " is the best kind of rope for this purpose, because it is so 

 light that it floats on the surface instead of sinking, as is the case with an 

 ordinary hempen rope. 



If there is only sand on the shore, the rope can be moored quite firmly 

 by tying it to the middle of a stout stick, burying the stick a foot or so in 

 the sand, and filling up the trench. You may pull till you break the rope, 



