Douglas made sure he conquered the old terror of water by putting himself through rigorous self-tests even after his swimming training was over. He swam alone in the pool and then went to Lake Wentworth in New Hampshire, where he swam two miles across the lake to Stamp Act Island, fighting back the tiny vestiges of terror that gripped him in the middle of the lake. To be doubly sure, he also dived into Warm Lake and swam across to the other shore and back, finally realizing that he had truly conquered his fear of water.
