A BREACH IN THE BANK 117 



water in front of him. He pushed it aside and, bend- 

 ing until his face barely cleared the surface of the 

 river, he discovered a small sucking" eddy, whose 

 swirling hole he knew ran into the breach. 



He edged farther out and reached down under the 

 water and touched the upper rim of the hole. How 

 large might it be ? Swinging round, he dug his fin- 

 gers into the bank and lowered himself feet first 

 until he stood in the hole. It was the size of a small 

 bucket, but he could almost feel it going beneath his 

 feet, and a sudden terror took hold upon him. 



He was only a boy, and the dark night, the wild 

 river, the vast, sweeping storm, the roar and tremor 

 and tumult flattened him for a moment to the ridge 

 of the bank in a panic of fear! 



But he heard the water running, he felt the bank 

 going directly beneath where he lay, and getting to 

 his feet he started for the village. A single hasty 

 step and, but for the piles of the sluice, he would have 

 plunged into the river. 



He must feel his way; but he never could do it in 

 time to save the bank. The breach must be stopped 

 at once. He must stop it and keep it stopped until 

 the next patrol brought help. 



Feeling his way back, he dropped again upon his 

 hands and knees above the breach to think for a 

 moment. The cake of ice hung as before in the eddy. 

 Catching it, he tipped it and thrust it down across 

 the mouth of the hole, but it slipped from his cold 



