THE CANOE WRECKED 
man came to my rescue only because there was no danger 
for him, as he could swim, or else he would not have 
done it.” 
There was no time to lose, and certainly no time for 
argument. The canoe had most unluckily got stuck at 
the bottom of the rapid between two rocks, her fore part 
being absolutely submerged. The vibration was such in 
the after-portion which stuck out of the water that I 
thought any moment she might break in two. 
All my men behaved that day with marvellous courage, 
particularly Filippe, who, much delighted by the words 
of praise I gave him when he risked his life in coming to 
our rescue, now offered to risk his life once more in 
endeavouring to seize one of the ropes which had got loose 
and was dangling from the canoe in the foaming waters. 
We tied Filippe with a rope which we removed from one 
of the packing-cases we had previously landed, and let 
him down the rapid until he was thrown violently against 
the canoe. There the plucky fellow was able to get inside 
and recover the ropes, which, after repeated attempts, 
he flung to us. We pulled and pulled for several hours, 
but the canoe was so jammed between the rocks, and the 
current was so strong, that we were not able to get her off. 
Night had come on, and we were still waist-deep in 
the water and trembling with cold, trying to save the 
canoe. She would not move in any direction. It was with 
some concern that I had seen several articles which had 
been loose in the canoe being washed out into the water 
and disappearing in the whirlpool. Then came a worse 
accident still. While trying to unload two heavy cases of 
provisions, a ticklish job, the men lost their footing in the 
current and one after the other the packing-cases also 
disappeared in the whirlpool. 
All these disasters, following one another within a few 
hours, were rather trying to us, the loss of the provisions 
particularly giving me a great shock, as I realized that 
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