ing but froth and spray and flitting stone, and
then the roar that came back from the towering walls swelled into a
great diapason terrifying and bewildering. Seaforth glanced over his
shoulder and saw that Okanagan was dipping his paddle.

"A fall or a big rapid. We've got to go through," he said.

Seaforth swept his gaze aloft for a moment while the bewildering roar
grew deafening. Nothing that had life in it could scale the horrible
smooth walls that hung over them, and through a rift in the vapour he
could see a filigree of whitened pines that seemed very far away
projected against the blue. They were, he fancied, at least a thousand
feet above him, and he and Okanagan alone far down in the dimness of
another world with their helpless companion. Then he nerved himself
for an effort as he looked forward into the spray and vapour that
whirled in denser clouds ahead. Nothing was visible through its filmy
folds, but his flesh shrank from the tumult of sound that came out of
it.

"Hold her straight," cried Okanagan, in a breathless roar, and Seaforth
just heard his voice through the diapason of the river.

Then the canoe lurched beneath them, and sped faster still, plunging,
rocking, rolling, while the froth beat into her, and Seaforth whirled
his paddle in a frenzy. The shrinking had gone, and he was only
conscious of a curious unreasoning exaltation. A pinnacle of rock
flashed by them, there was a roar from Tom, and straining every sinew
on the paddle they swung, with eyes dilated and laboured breath,
sideways towards the wall of stone. Then the froth that leapt about it
swept astern, and they were going on again, faster than ever, and
apparently down a declivity, the spray beating upon them and the canoe
swinging her bows out of a frothing confusion. Seaforth heard a cry
behind him, but could attach no meaning to it, and whirled his paddle
mechanically, until the craft appeared to lurch out from under him, and
fall bodily with a great splashing. Twice, it seemed to him, she swung
round a great black pool, and then they were driving forward again a
trifle more smoothly, while here and there a stunted pine that clung to
the rocks came flitting back to them. He felt Okanagan's paddle in his
shoulder, and glanced round a moment. There was a green strip behind
them that seemed to roll itself together and fall roaring into the
pool, but a wisp of mist that blotted out everything drifted across his
eyes.