Better drowned than duffers

From Arthur Ransome Wiki

In Swallows and Amazons, the Swallows all write letters to Daddy asking whether they could sail Swallow to Wild Cat Island and camp. His reply comes by telegram:

BETTER DROWNED THAN DUFFERS IF NOT DUFFERS WON'T DROWN

John is particularly keen not to let Daddy down and behave like a duffer.

It has been suggested that Ernest Altounyan whose children were, in part, the models for the Walker family was noted for his pithily worded telegrams and this one is typical of his style. (CFT)