Life on a Wisconsin Farm 



and dived again, with the same triumphant 

 success. I think I went down four or five times, 

 and each time as I made the dive-spring 

 shouted aloud, "Take that!" feeling that I 

 was getting most gloriously even with myself. 



Never again from that day to this have I 

 lost control of myself in water. If suddenly 

 thrown overboard at sea in the dark, or even 

 while asleep, I think I would immediately right 

 myself in a way some would call "instinct," 

 rise among the waves, catch my breath, and 

 try to plan what would better be done. Never 

 was victory over self more complete. I have 

 been a good swimmer ever since. At a slow 

 gait I think I could swim all day in smooth 

 water moderate in temperature. When I was 

 a student at Madison, I used to go on long 

 swimmtng-joumeys, called exploring expedi- 

 tions, along the south shore of Lake Mendota, 

 on Saturdays, sometimes alone, sometimes with 

 another amphibious explorer by the name of 

 Fuller. 



My adventures in Fountain Lake call to 

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