NARROW ESCAPE. 321 



cowards, only occasionally exposing their summits 

 over the broken water, lie in our route ; one moment 

 a headlong current drags us towards exposed dan- 

 gers ; next instant an unseen undertow almost 

 wrecks our frail bark upon a dangerous reef. But 

 the pace is fast, the excitement intense, and reckless- 

 ness of danger results. But a distant ponderous 

 sound by degrees becomes more apparent ; louder and 

 louder it breaks upon the ear, as faster and faster 

 we hurry on our downward course ; yet our canoe is 

 under control, and well it is so, for soon it breaks 

 upon my brain with the rapidity of a thunder-clap 

 that we are galloping to the margin of a cataract. 



Deeper and deeper goes the paddle-blade into 

 the crystal stream, slowly but steadily our stem 

 obeys the pressure ; our head is pointed to a sandy 

 cove ; in a moment more a strong stroke drives us 

 out of the foaming stream into the eddying back 

 current of the little haven. 



After-inspection proved how narrow had been 

 our escape ; for a mile or more, right to the edge 

 of the waterfall, no other landing-place could have 

 been found, and the margin was so steep that even a 

 friendly limb to cling by, to arrest our progress, was 

 not visible. Even snags, those generally invariable 

 adjuncts to American river scenery, found no resting- 

 place on which to anchor, so did not here exist. 



For the two following days we had laborious 

 work, carrying our canoe to where it could again 

 be launched, for there was no portage, and logs 



Y 



