of his leaps, the
youth paused to collect himself, and was unable to distinguish the next
rock projecting above the roaring current. The canyon just there was
wider than usual, and he stooped over and gazed to the right and left in
turn, hoping to discover the indispensable support.

"It must be somewhere near," he reflected, "else Hank and the rest of
them could have ascended no further; perhaps they did not do so."

He gazed up the walls of darkness, but saw nothing that could help solve
the question. If there was a cave near at hand its presence was betrayed
by no friendly light. Although the tumult of the current was almost
deafening, he shouted the name of Fred and listened for the response
which came not.

It was not difficult for Jack Dudley to form the explanation of why he
failed to discern the next support. Hitherto his leaps had been
comparatively trifling. It would have been no trouble to make them
several feet longer. This was a spot where such a jump was necessary,
and therefore he could not discern the rock which would have been
visible with the help of the sun or moon.

What should he do? Turn back or keep on? It was a most serious question,
and he debated it a long time before forming a conclusion.

It is remarkable how readily, at times, we can convince ourselves of the
truth of that which we wish to believe. By and by Jack Dudley was sure
he made out the dim outlines of the lower point of a huge rock, just
where it ought to have been.

"I can't be mistaken, so here goes!"

And go he did, with a vengeance. It was the finest leap yet made, but,
unfortunately, the support upon which he so confidently counted had no
existence. Instead of landing on solid stone, he dropped into the raging
torrent and went spinning down stream like a cork in a whirlpool.

He kept his presence of mind, and did not exhaust his strength by trying
to stem the current. His great peril was in being hurled against some of
the rocks and killed or having a limb broken. Throwing out his arms just
in time he averted this calamity, and feeling himself scraping swiftly
past one of the masses of stone that had served him as a support, he
desperately gripped it and drew himself out of the water.

He was uninjured, but became immediately conscious of a great
misfortune. In the flurry his Winchester had become displaced and was
irrecoverably gone. It was with an exclamation of relief that he found
his revolver in place at his hip