About a couple of years before, he was a new boy in the academy at Willisville.
One Saturday, a lot of us went down to the river to swim.

Our favorite place was near an old wharf, which ran out into deep water, and a fellow could take a good dive there, when the tide was high.

There were some of the smaller boys along that day, but they didn't dive any, and if they even swam, it was in shallow water near the shore, by the side of the wharf.

But I think most of them spent their time wading about.
I was a good swimmer, and could dive very well.

I was learning to swim under water, but had not done very much in that line at the time I speak of.