ond
the mule?"

"I don't think it goes down at all, herr."

"Then the water must be rising," cried Dale excitedly; and the guide
nodded.

"We must not be caught in this terrible trap. I thought the water was
sinking."

"It was, herr; but there must have been a fresh fall of rain at the
other end of the lake, and it is rising now fast."

CHAPTER SIXTEEN.

A GRAVE PERIL.

"Then we must get back at once. But the mule?"

"We cannot move him, herr. It is impossible to do anything, and he must
stay. The water may not rise high enough to take him off his legs. If
it does he must go down with the stream and get out himself below
yonder. I would say stay, but if the water rises to our waists, we
should not be able to stand against the stream."

"Try the mule once more," said Dale. "We may get through."

The guide waded carefully back along the ledge-like path, and they could
dimly see him patting and coaxing the beast, but with no effect
whatever; and they stood there impatiently waiting till he returned to
them, but not before both Dale and Saxe were painfully aware that the
water was slowly creeping up toward their knees and the position growing
perilous.

"It is useless, herr," cried Melchior, as he rejoined them. "You will
lead back, sir; but wait a minute,--we will have the rope."

He took it from his shoulder and rapidly passed one end to Dale, who
knotted it about his waist, while the middle was once more tied round
Saxe, and finally the other end to the guide, who then made a sign, and
Dale began to retrace his steps toward the lower mouth of the gorge.

Even in that little time the difference in the level of the water was
very evident; and as Saxe waded along, with the stream rushing by him
and seeming to give him quite a series of pushes, he could not help an
excited feeling of dread filling his breast, and he wondered whether he
should get out of the place alive if some sudden rush of water came down
in a wave and swept them off the ledge.

It was slow work for a few minutes, till the path rose once more, and
then they progressed pretty quickly till the shelf ran down again; and
as Saxe went on through the gloom, feeling that the rope was kept fairly
taut, another sharp bend was turned, and they came in view of the facing
wall of rock, against which the stream rushed and rose up now in such a
body that Melchior raised his voice loudly:

"Stop, herr!" he cried: "don't try to pass."

"N