Page:Colymbia (1873).djvu/48

42 body and the water, that I could assume any position, rise, descend or remain stationary in the water, without any conscious effort; there was, in fact, no resistance to be overcome, buoyancy as well as gravitation was completely annihilated. I had, in fact, no weight relative to the medium in which I was. The sensation was at once new and delightful. It reminded me of the feeling of flying I had sometimes experienced in dreams, when I had felt as if skimming over the earth without touching it.

Looking upwards, I was struck with the curious appearance of the outside world seen from the depths of the water. The sky and some elevated objects on land, such as trees and mountain tops, were seen framed in a large circular opening, sharply defined and surrounded by a thin ring of prismatic colours. Objects near the horizon appeared high up, but dwarfed and flattened laterally; and the sun itself, when not right overhead, was of an oval shape, the long diameter being horizontal. The remainder of the space visible was occupied by a vivid reflection of the bottom of the sea, the corals, sponges and sea-weed being reproduced with great distinctness. The deeper the water the smaller the circumference of the circular space through which sky and external objects were seen.

The water being perfectly clear, I could see to a considerable distance, and all objects floating in the water were distinctly seen and of their natural shape.

I was struck by the exquisite whiteness of the skin both of my own body and that of my companion, owing to the blue tinge in the water.

On this first occasion I could not remain long below the surface, owing to the painful sensation