DRIVEN ASHORE. PROSPECTING. 257 



aboard, to he sure, but the boat seemed to feel the responsi- 

 bility of the occasion quite as much as did the brave and 

 honest boatman. 



We aimed for a green, timbered point, hall' or three-quar- 

 fere of a mile below, as being directly in the only cour.-e 

 \ve could ii', and the only place (for the dead timber) where 

 a landing seemed possible. After what seemed hours 

 probably nol many minutes we neared it, our eyes 

 anxiously >eanned the ragged, tossing and groaning dead 

 drift timber for an opening large enough for our boat to 

 run into in safety and we found just <m< such, which I 

 had observed and remarked upon, in passing a few days 

 before. a> being a po^ible refuse for ><>me poor fellow in a 

 :-torm. [nU> this opening we shot the boat to the timber 

 piled on the shore, hauled it out on the stranded drift- 

 wood, took out our luggage, placed heavy sticks across the 

 boa! to pre\ ( nl its being blown over upon the sharp prongs 

 of broken limbs and then, ->afc at la-l. and happy to feel 

 solid earth again under our feet, we drew a deep breath of 

 relief and looked thankfully out over the wild and marvel- 

 ous way we had come. 



Our tiist feelinir wa- of hearty satisfaction that we were 

 ashore anywhere. Our next was a desire to know what 

 :iwaited us, now that we were ashore. Young, taking the 

 axe, said, " \\C1I, I i-iiess I'll go up here and see what kind 

 of a country we've got into, anyhow! " and plunging into 

 the thicket, disappeared. I sat on a rock and rather dubi- 

 ously contemplated the tumbling and desolate waters and 

 the more desolate dead swamps and bogs beyond, and the 



