00:23Hello again, Peabody, Sherman, and Wayback here.
00:26Today, we shall be on hand for that historic moment when man first swam the English Channel.
00:31Sherman? Yes, Mr. Peabody?
00:33Set the way back for the coast of England. And the date?
00:35August 24th, 1875. A fateful day in the life of Captain Matthew Clift.
00:41It took but a fraction of a second for the Wayback Machine to transport us to our destination,
00:45and there, on a strip of sandy beach, stood the athletic-looking Captain Clift.
00:49Goodbye, everyone. Thanks ever so much for coming down to see me off.
00:53And with that, he dived into the sea, but not for long.
00:58Rising to his feet, the good Captain threw a game smile at his well-wishers and endeavored to try again.
01:02But with the same results.
01:07Gad, that's the most obstinate water I've ever run into. Or out of.
01:11What seems to be the trouble, Captain?
01:13I don't know. I dive in, but I never stay there.
01:17It was then I noticed his body was generously coated with grease.
01:20I wear the grease to keep out the chill of the sea.
01:23Yes, but you have so much on that you keep slipping out of the water.
01:26We scraped the excess grease off, and this time the Captain's attempt was successful.
01:31Or at least it seemed to be.
01:33Help!
01:34He's in trouble, Mr. Peabody!
01:36I thought he would be.
01:38In a flash, we launched a small dinghy and were soon at the Captain's side.
01:41What's wrong, Captain?
01:42I'm afraid I can't make it.
01:44Why not?
01:45Well, there are three reasons.
01:47One, the channel is 19 miles wide, a rather large distance.
01:51And two, the water is frightful cold.
01:54What's the third reason?
01:55I can't swim!
01:58We hauled the struggling athlete aboard and bundled him in a warm blanket.
02:02I know what you're thinking.
02:04I was a fool to even attempt it.
02:07Why did you?
02:08Well, the plumbing's gone bad at home.
02:10I haven't had a bath in a week.
02:12Would you try it again if you could swim?
02:13Why, yes, I suppose so.
02:15Swell!
02:16Then Mr. Peabody will teach you.
02:18We started out with the dog paddle, naturally.
02:21And after that, the Australian crawl.
02:23By three that afternoon, Captain Clift was thoroughly amphibious.
02:27How do you feel, Captain?
02:28Well, outside of a little water on the knee, I feel absolutely wizard.
02:34And so saying, Captain Natalie Clift struck out for the coast of France, 19 miles away.
02:39I thought it best that Sherman and I accompany him.
02:41And a good thing we did, too.
02:43For when he was halfway across, the fog closed in.
02:47These are terrible conditions for the Captain.
02:49Oh, I don't know.
02:50Being English, I rather imagine he feels quite at home in the fog.
02:53Listen, Mr. Peabody.
02:54Waves crashing on the beach.
02:56He did it.
02:57He's made it to shore.
02:58Captain Clift had made it to shore, all right.
03:01Unfortunately, when the fog dissipated the next morning, it wasn't the French shore, but the English.
03:07Good heavens!
03:09Do you mean to say we're back where we started from?
03:12I'm afraid so.
03:14You see, you must have got turned round in the fog and we merely followed your course.
03:18I see.
03:19Well, cheerio, chaps.
03:21I'm off to bed.
03:21Wait, Captain.
03:22You can't give up now.
03:24Why not?
03:24This seems like a glorious time to give up.
03:28Sherman is right, you know.
03:29How would it look for a Britisher to not conquer the English Channel?
03:33I don't care how it looks.
03:35I'm going home and brew some tea.
03:37The word tea gave me a sudden idea.
03:40Quick, Sherman.
03:41Fetch a tea bag and a fishing pole while I detain the Captain.
03:44Like a shot, Sherman was off and shortly thereafter returned with what I had requested.
03:48Are you going to try to catch fish, Mr. Peabody?
03:51No, not fish, Sherman.
03:53An Englishman.
03:54I dangled the tea bag in front of the good Captain and true to his upbringing, the tantalizing
03:59aspect of tea drove him wild.
04:01By Jove, I must have that.
04:04Then swim for it.
04:06With Sherman at the oars, we led the Captain a merry chase.
04:09A chase that spanned 19 miles.
04:11Yes, at dawn the following day, Captain Matthew Clift staggered out of the sea onto a thin shore.
04:16In his hands, a rather soggy tea bag.
04:19A pot!
04:20My kingdom for a pot!
04:23What a tremendous feat, Mr. Peabody.
04:25He swam the English Channel.
04:27Yes, he did, Sherman.
04:29But he sure looks awful.
04:30Think he'd be all right?
04:31Oh, I'm sure of it.
04:32It's merely a slight case of exhaustion.
04:34But look how white he is!
04:35Well, it's fortunate that he is.
04:37Otherwise, England might be minus one of her famous landmarks.
04:40Captain Clift a landmark?
04:42Why, of course, Sherman.
04:44He comes from Dover, you know, and surely you've heard of the White Clifts of Dover?
04:50Hmm?
04:53Ian Williams
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04:57Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh.
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