ound. There was a heavy shock, the canoe lurched, and a
broken branch began to drag her down. Jim could not push off the
grinding mass and, letting go the pole, seized an ax. He cut the
mooring line to ease the strain, but when the rope parted and the log
swung clear he was faced by another risk; unless they could reach the
gravel bank, they would go down the rapid. He could not find bottom
now, and while he tried the log struck the next canoe. His canoe
swerved outshore, the row was drifting fast, and he shouted as he felt
for the ax.

It was, however, obvious that the men in camp could not help much and
he nerved himself to make a hard choice. If he held on, all the canoes
would go down the rapid; if he let two go, one might be saved. He cut
the line made fast astern, the log and canoes vanished, and he and the
Indian strained their muscles. They had lost ground they could not
recover; the gravel bank was sliding past, and angry waves leaped about
the rocks below. Somehow they must make the bank before they were
carried down. There was some water in the canoe; Jim heard it splash
about. She was horribly heavy and his pole would not grip the bottom.
When it slipped the current washed its end under the craft.

He threw the pole on board and found a paddle. The canoe rocked on a
white eddy, but he got her head round and the revolution carried her
towards the shore. They must drive her in before the backwash flung
her off, and for some moments he labored with weakening arms and
heaving chest. Then a packer plunged in, the bow struck ground, and
Jim jumped over. He was up to his waist in the white turmoil, but
another packer seized the canoe and the Indian thrust hard on his
bending pole. The bow went farther into the gravel and with a savage
effort they ran her out. Jim leaned against a rock, trying to get his
breath, and when he looked about the other canoes had vanished. His
tools and stores had gone for good.

Now there was no need for watchfulness, he could sleep, and he lay down
by the fire. When he wakened day was breaking, and beckoning the
Indian he set off up the gorge. He had an object for his dangerous
climb across the slippery rocks, and he noted that the stream flowed
evenly along the bank. This implied that if a log were rolled into the
water on his side of the straight reach, it would probably strike the
rock behind which the canoes had been tied.

After a time, when the roughness o