The Journal of a Sporting Nomad 



there. The next morning we started down the 

 river, the stream not being nearly so strong or 

 so high as when we came up it. I sat in the 

 stern of the boat, facing the bows, with a pair of 

 short sculls in my hands, whilst Shanghai pulled 

 the longer oars in the ordinary way, Hunter and 

 Elia having charge of the other boat. In the 

 stream we were continually having to dodge 

 rocks that just showed their ugly heads above 

 water this is where the short oars I used were 

 of assistance. When it was necessary for Shanghai 

 to cease rowing, I could, with a sharp push 

 with one or other of my oars, avoid these ob- 

 stacles successfully. Once my big boat nearly 

 came to grief, for I hit a sunken rock heavily, 

 which shook us up badly from stem to stern 

 The boat hung for a few moments fast on the 

 rock, but when the current swung her stern 

 round, she floated off again without doing us 

 any serious harm. About midday we came to 

 the rapids. It was not possible to steer the 

 boats down these foaming torrents, so the long 

 tow-rope was made fast, and we let down each 

 boat separately. It was an awkward place to 

 negotiate at any time, for the water close in was 

 very shoal, and where it suddenly grew deeper 

 the waves were uncomfortably big. We let 

 down my boat first. I grounded three or four 

 times slightly, but not sufficiently fast to prevent 

 my pushing her off with an oar. At one place 



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