40 THE FOREST LANDS OP FINLAND. 



feet high. There were bad stones on the shallow side ; 

 it seemed qaite impracticable ; our pilot only grasped his 

 paddle the tighter, and set his teeth, and off we went. It 

 was grand, but somewhat terrible, to feel the frail boat 

 whirl round as we entered the stream ; but it was worse 

 when we got fairly into it, and dashed at the wall of rock. 

 We were covered with spray in an instant. No one spoke, 

 and no one could have heard for the noise. On we rushed 

 over the waves, nearer and nearer, faster and faster, to- 

 wards the bank the high bow slapping hard into the 

 waves ; but skill and coolness were at the helm. An 

 eddy seemed to throw us bodily off from the rock into the 

 tail of the stream, and the steersman knew all about it. 

 The old boat writhed and cracked from stem to stern, and 

 pitched headlong into the waves, till I thought she must 

 part or founder. The man in the bow was nearly upset 

 by a wave which jumped on his back, and he nearly cut 

 a crab ; but the pilot was working his paddle with might 

 and main, and we shot into a great boiling, black pool, 

 safe, but well ducked. I know nothing grander than such 

 a torrent, unless it be the rolling Atlantic; and nothing 

 gives one such an idea of irresistible force as Atlantic 

 waves after a storm. 



'The rest of the rapid was bad enough ; but all hands 

 seemed to think it child's play. I would have stared at 

 the notion of shooting down such a place a month ago ; 

 now we thought nothing of it. 



' We reached the last shoot at 2.45. We had made about 

 seven miles in less than an hour, including stoppages to 

 bale. 



' I paid the river guardian, shook his hand heartily, and 

 with a volley of Huastes we parted. 



' It was cold, wet, and miserable; but our men pulled 

 well, and we chatted merrily as we glided down a smooth 

 stream.' 



The narrative goes on to tell of a voyage of successive 

 days of the fiver being 'wide and smooth, the banks 



