not land now we would probably land at the bottom of the
river, for we could not hope to run another canyon. Those below were
terrific gorges, dangerous under ordinary conditions, but with the rush
of the flood waters, absolutely impossible.

We were favored for the moment by a change in the condition of the
river. The first rush of the drift had passed and there was a
comparatively smooth stretch of water, but further up the river great
red waves were coming with reinforcements of logs and timbers against
our boat.

"To the oars," yelled Jim, "we must get out of this now or go under."

Juarez and I sprang forward with lightning quickness, placed the oars in
position, and then we pulled, how we pulled! Biting the raging current
of the river with rapid strokes.

Exerting his strength to the very utmost, Jim fought the boat towards
the shore. He seemed animated with a fury equal to the floods.

"Pull, pull," yelled Tom in frenzy. "Here comes a log to kill us."

It was bearing down toward us with awful swiftness. Its great end, three
or four feet across, was like a battering ram in the swift swing of the
current, ready to demolish us.

It was the last blow of the river, escape it and we would be safe. No
need to urge us. Our oars foamed into the current and "The Captain"
responded. Down it came, flung forward on a wave above Jim's head. With
a desperate surge of strength Juarez and I gave a last pull together and
the great log swept by our stern by six inches.

We were saved. With a few more strokes under Jim's skillful steering, we
grounded our boat on the shore. Utterly exhausted Tom and I fell forward
on the ground when we landed, our faces buried in our arms. Tom was
sobbing hysterically. Little wonder! Even to stand on the shore and
watch the raging river would frighten most of you into a chill.

Jim now turned and shook his fist at the baffled river.

"We fooled you," he yelled. "You don't get us or 'The Captain,' either."

Juarez said nothing, but sat on a rock breathing heavily, his hands
hanging down before him. Without his help, quickness and skill we would
never have made it.

We made our camp where we had landed, resting and repairing our boat.
The river went down as rapidly as it had come up, for the flood had been
due to a cloud burst and not to melting snow or a continuous storm.

On the third morning we were all ready to start upon the final round
with the Colorado River. Before us was the mar