THE " RIBAND STORM. 29 



snao-s and fallen timber which beset the steep, slippery 

 bank ; and the force of the stream bumped us against 

 them in a manner which w^arned us to desist, if we 

 would avoid being swamped or knocking holes in the 

 paper sides of our frail craft. We had little chance 

 of escape in that case, for the river was deep, and 

 it would be almost impossible to clamber up the 

 slippery face of the bank, even if we succeeded in 

 finding it, through the utter darkness in which we 

 were enveloped. There was nothing else for it but 

 to face it out till daylight, and we therefore fastened 

 the two canoes together, and again gave ourselves 

 up to the fury of the storm. We had some difficulty 

 in bringing the two canoes alongside, but by calHng 

 out to one another, and by the momentary glimpses 

 obtained dui'ing the flashes of lightning, we at last 

 effected it. Treemiss, crouching in the bows, kept a 

 sharp look-out, while we, seated in the stern, steered 

 by his direction. As each flash illuminated the river 

 before us for an instant, he was able to discern the 

 rocks and snags ahead, and a \dgorous stroke of our 

 paddles carried us clear during the interval of darkness. 

 After a short period of blind suspense, the next 

 flash showed us that we had avoided one danger to 

 discover another a few yards in front. Hour after 

 hour passed by, but the storm raged as furiously, and 

 the rain came down as fast as ever. We looked 

 anxiously for the first gleam of daylight, but the 

 nicfht seemed as if it would never come to an end. 

 The canoes were gradually filling with water, which 

 had crept up nearly to our waists, and the gunwales 



