ACROSS UNKNOWN SOUTH AMERICA 
within me I really thought we were lost. As I shouted 
those words I saw to my horror two of the paddles washed 
away, and as I quickly measured with my eye the length 
of the channel I perceived that we had some 200 metres 
more of that kind of navigation before we should shoot 
out of that dangerous place. 
Up and down we went several times on that high 
central wave; several times did we again shave the rocks 
on either side of the narrow channel. We were quite 
helpless, my men in chorus yelling: “We are lost! we 
are lost! ” 
Alcides bravely stuck to the helm for some time, but 
the force of the water was so great that he was knocked 
down into the canoe and had to let go. When we reached 
the point where the narrow passage came to an end, the 
waters looked so diabolical that when my men shouted 
“We are lost! we are lost!” I could not help saying 
“Yes, we are!” 
I held on to the canoe desperately, as we were banged 
about for a few seconds in a way that nearly stunned us, 
the waves striking me in the face with such force that it 
took me some moments to recover. When I did I found 
that we were already out of the channel and in the whirl¬ 
pool, the canoe full of water but fortunately saved. 
I lose most things in the world, but I never lose my 
patience nor my sense of humour. I could not help 
laughing when I looked at the expression on the faces of 
my dogs — an expression of terror and astonishment, as 
they looked first at the place from which we had emerged 
and then at me, which I am sure would have meant in 
words: “Good gracious! where in the world are you 
taking us? ” 
We had to halt as soon as convenient in order to cut 
some new paddles. It took my men some hours to recover 
from the effects of that experience. 
As is generally the case after a violent emotion, a 
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