The instructor built a swimmer out of Douglas piece by piece. For three months he held him high on a rope attached to his belt. He went back and forth across the pool. Panic seized the author everytime. The instructor taught Douglas to put his face under water and exhale and to raise his nose and inhale. Then Douglas had to kick with his legs for many weeks till these relaxed. After seven months the instructor told him to swim the length of the pool.

The haunting fear of the water followed Douglas in his fishing trips, swimming, boating and canoeing. To get rid of this fear, he finally engaged an instructor who practised him five days a week, an hour each day. He held one end of the rope in his hands and the other end through a pulley overhead of Douglas. It was tied to the belt with the rope. He made Douglas swim back and forth in the pool.

After three months of training, the instructor taught Douglas to put his face under water and breathe out, and to raise his nose and breathe in. He repeated this exercise hundreds of times. Bit by bit he got rid of the terror that gripped him. Then he held Douglas at the side of the pool and made him kick himself with his own legs. After weeks of doing this practice, he could command his own legs of swimming in water.

Thus piece by piece, the instructor built a swimmer and perfected him in every way.