Adventures in the Far Future & Tales of Outer Space — page 131: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

Carefully, now, he swam up to the surface, looked around quickly for sharks, or their equivalent in this world of the future. Not too far away he could see land, a lowlying bank with the suggestion of docks and cranes. Good. Calmer now, he struck out for shore, swimming heavily from the equipment that dragged at his shoulders. Striker wished he could drop his rifle and bandolier at least, but he didn’t dare. No telling what might be waiting on that shore— A steam whistle sounded behind him and he looked around to see a small launch pulling alongside. Hands clutched at him, hauled him over the rim of the craft, and Striker looked into faces as human as his own. They were chattering amiably at him, obviously asking questions, but he couldn’t understand a word of the language. His rescuers were three; suddenly they fell silent as they realized what a strange fish they had pulled out. Striker Stared blankly and saw that they were certainly human. It was he, then, who did not give the impression of a reasoning being. His wet, matted hair—the rifle, hand-gun, cooking kit, rucksack crammed with tins, all insanely slung from his waist in a clattering mass—he must be a sight! He grinned feebly at the three rescuers. They were smaller than he; dark-skinned, with a prognathous cast to their features. Their costumes were much less radical than Striker’s for they knew where they were going. “Thanks, friends,” said Striker gratefully. Whoever or whatever they were, they had helped him out. Then the shock of his sudden transition into the future, his thirty-foot drop into icy waters, the strain until his rescue, took their toll. Striker went down and out. He woke in a sort of hospital ward, flopping like a fish out of water. For a moment of orientation he was bewildered. Then he sat up violently when he recalled where—and when — he was. His was but one of a long row of beds. They were only a foot off the ground, and a bit too short and skimpy for CORniclooo SS CO