He left the woman and jumped into the sea.
Down under the cold black water he groped about.

He was not an expert swimmer and diver.

He had never been under water so long before, but so strong had been his impulse to reach the child that he went a good way on the bottom in the direction in which he had thought he saw the little body floating.

Then he knew that he came up empty-handed and was swimming on the dark surface, hearing confused cries and imprecations from the shore.

He wanted to dive and seek again for the child below, but he did not know how to do this without a place to leap from.