376 EXTRICATION 



a slight token of my sincere regard, I called 

 after my friend Captain Sir John Franklin, whose 

 name will always be associated with this portion 

 of America, we* followed the stream, which, as 

 usual, soon broke into a rapid : this was safely 

 passed ; but the next, close to it, demanded 

 more caution ; for, from its breadth, which was 

 not less than three quarters of a mile, and the 

 white spray which was rising at the vanishing 

 line, it was clearly not to be ventured on with- 

 out a preliminary examination. And fortunate 

 it was that the precaution was taken ; for there 

 was a rapidly inclined descent of twenty feet, 

 divided at the upper end by two islands, and 

 at the lower end by one, thickly spread with 

 perpendicular slabs set up as marks, three or four 

 feet high, and many even more. The entire space 

 of the rapid was shoal, and encumbered with 

 stones, which threw up a continuous sheet of 

 foam ; but an inner channel along the western 

 bank admitted of the boat's being lowered down 

 quite light with ropes and poles as far as the 

 lower island. Here, however, there was an 

 awkward fall, which it was impossible to lower 

 down, — neither was the ground practicable for 

 a launch. The only method, therefore, which 

 remained for extricating her from her present 

 situation, however dangerous the attempt, was 

 to plunge into the breakers outside the island. 



