He attempted to stand up and to rest his forepaws on Skipper's voice coming out of the darkness, as he would have rested his forepaws on Skipper's leg had he been near.

The result was disastrous.

Out of the horizontal, he sank down and under, coming up with a new spasm of strangling.
This lasted for a short time, during which the strangling prevented him from answering Skipper's cry, which continued to reach him.

But when he could answer he burst forth in a joyous yelp.

Skipper was coming to take him out of the stinging, biting sea that blinded his eyes and hurt him to breathe.