. Radisson turned. One blow of his pole
and the foolish youth fell senseless to the bottom of the canoe.

"Look, sir, look!" screamed La Chesnaye, "the canoe's getting
ice-logged! She's sunk to the gun'ales!"

But at the moment when M. Radisson turned to save young Gillam, the
unguided canoe had darted between two rolling seas. Walls of ice rose
on either side. A white whirl--a mighty rush--a tumult of roaring
waters--the ice walls pitched down--the canoe was caught--tossed
up--nipped--crushed like a card-box--and we four flung on the drenching
ice-pans to a roll of the seas like to sweep us under, with a footing
slippery as glass.

"Keep hold of Gillam! Lock hands!" came a clarion voice through the
storm. "Don't fear, men! There is no danger! The gale will drive us
ashore! Don't fear! Hold tight! Hold tight! There's no danger if
you have no fear!"

The ice heaved and flung to the roll of the drift.

"Hold fast and your wet sleeves will freeze you to the ice! Steady!"
he called, as the thing fell and rose again.

Then, with the hiss of the world serpent that pursues man to his doom,
we were scudding before a mountain swell. There was the splintering
report of a cannon-shot. The ice split. We clung the closer. The
rush of waves swept under us, around us, above us. There came a crash.
The thing gave from below. The powers of darkness seemed to close over
us, the jaws of the world serpent shut upon their prey, the spirit of
evil shrieked its triumph.

Our feet touched bottom. The waves fell back, and we were ashore on
the sand-bar of the traverse.

"Run! Run for your lives!" shouted Radisson. Jerking up Gillam, whom
the shock had brought to his senses. "Lock hands and run!"

And run we did, like those spirits in the twilight of the lost, with
never a hope of rescue and never a respite from fear, hand gripping
hand, the tide and the gale and the driving sleet yelping wolfishly at
our heels! Twas the old, old story of Man leaping undaunted as a
warrior to conquer his foes--turned back!--beaten!--pursued by serpent
and wolf, spirit of darkness and power of destruction, with the light
of life flickering low and the endless frosts creeping close to a heart
beating faint!

Oh, those were giants that we set forth to conquer in that harsh
northland--the giants of the warring elements! And giants were needed
for the task.

Think you of that when you hear the slighting scorn of the rough
pione