NAVIGATION OF THE RIVER LEONA 



207 



were the curving" banks and the reaches of the river as they opened 

 out in front of us. One's senses were too much occupied, one's 

 ner\cs too much on the 

 stretch to be aware of 

 anything beyond. We, 

 the hiunch and the river 

 were playing a gigantic 

 oamble, in which the 

 stakes on our part were 

 perilously heavy. This 

 continued to be for five 

 minutes one's most pro- 

 minent idea. It was very 

 exciting, for we had no- 

 thing to do but await 

 developments. 



Very soon, however, 

 this feelino- wore off. It 

 seems that a very strong- 

 emotion cannot in the 

 nature of things last long. 

 Undoubtedly cesf le pi'c- 

 viier pas qui coilte. I 

 looked round and saw 

 the other two grinning. 



At the pace we were then going our voyage was not likely to 

 last more than four hours. This was a rough calculation allowing 

 for the windinu^s of the river that lav between us and Lake 

 Argentino. We afterwards found that we ran the distance in 

 three and a half hours, but they passed like a quarter of an hour. 

 1 do not suppose that any suicide club has <;vc'r iinented a more 

 acute form of excitement. 



We rarely saw half a mile in front of us. At first the 

 banks were low and ihe coarse grass upon ihcni blew kwkX shook 

 against the pale bkie of the sky-rim, but soon they began to 

 gi\e place to high and rocky slopes. Now and llim one caught 

 the g^litter of a submergred rock. The wind and the current made 



BliKNAKUO ll.UlANSKN 



