and flutter down-stream. The others mounted into the air, and
disappeared in the darkness.

During the time occupied in this manoeuvre, the canoe, no longer guided
by Lucien's oar, had been caught by some eddy in the current, and swept
round stern-foremost. In this position the light no longer shone upon
the river ahead, but was thrown up-stream. All in a downward direction
was buried in deep darkness. Before the voyageurs could bring the canoe
back to its proper direction, a new sound fell upon their ears that
caused some of them to utter a cry of terror. It was the noise of
rushing water, but not that which they had already heard and passed. It
was before them in the river itself. Perhaps it was a cataract, and
_they were sweeping rapidly to its brink_!

The voice of Norman was heard exclaiming, "Hold with your oars!--the
rapids!--the rapids!" At the same time he himself was seen rising up
and stretching forward for an oar. All was now consternation; and the
movements of the party naturally consequent upon such a sudden panic
shook the little craft until her gunwales lipped the water. At the same
time she had swung round, until the light again showed the stream ahead,
and a horrid sight it was. Far as the eye could see was a reach of
foaming rapids. Dark points of rocks, and huge black boulders, thickly
scattered in the channel, jutted above the surface; and around and
against these, the water frothed and hissed furiously. There was no
cataract, it is true--there is none such in Red River--but for all
purposes of destruction the rapids before them were equally dangerous
and terrible to the eyes of our voyageurs. They no longer thought of
the swans. The dead were permitted to float down unheeded, the wounded
to make its escape. Their only thought was to stop the canoe before it
should be carried upon the rapids.

With this intent all had taken to the oars, but in spite of every
exertion they soon found that the light craft had got within the
influence of the strong current, and was sucked downward more rapidly
than ever. Their backward strokes were to no purpose.

In a few seconds the canoe had passed over the first stage of the
rapids, and shot down with the velocity of an arrow. A huge boulder lay
directly in the middle of the channel, and against this the current
broke with fury, laving its sides in foaming masses. The canoe was
hurried to this point; and as the light was again turned up-strea