t stalled in the river.
Then, one by one, the heavily laden wagons began to cross, with two men
leading each team. There was little difficulty except at the channel,
where the mules were apt to be frightened at the sudden plunge into
deeper water.

A mule hates the dark almost as much as an Indian; he dislikes to work
in water, and above all he dreads miry places or quicksands, for which
his small, sharp hoofs are peculiarly unfitted. He is easily
panic-stricken, and is then wholly unmanageable. A team of mules,
finding themselves stalled in a stream, will become frantic with terror.
They utter agonized cries, attempt to clamber on one another's back, and
frequently drown themselves before they can be cut loose from the traces
and allowed to escape.

In spite of all the difficulties to be overcome, the wagons were got
safely over, until only one remained, and it had started on its perilous
journey. Those members of the party who stood in the water holding the
rope were becoming thoroughly chilled, as well as wearied by the
treadmill exercise necessary to keep their feet from sinking in the
quicksand. Thus, though they still stuck manfully to their posts, they
were thankful enough that this was the last wagon, and noted the sound
of its progress with eager interest. They were all volunteers, for
nobody had been ordered to remain in the river, and this fact added to
the strength of purpose with which they maintained their uncomfortable
positions.

Among them were Glen Eddy and Binney Gibbs, who, when volunteers were
called for to perform this duty, had rushed into the river among the
first. Now they stood, side by side, near the middle of the stream, and
close to the edge of the channel. They rejoiced to see the dim bulk of
the last wagon looming out of the darkness, and to know that their weary
task was nearly ended.

The mules of this team were unusually nervous, splashing more than any
of the others had done, and snorting loudly. The rope had been cast
loose from the bank the party had so recently quitted, and all those who
had upheld it beyond Glen and Binney had passed by them on their way to
the other side. They, too, would be relieved from duty as soon as the
team crossed the channel.

But there seemed to be some difficulty about persuading the mules to
cross it. As the leaders felt the water growing deeper and the sandy
bank giving way beneath them, they sprang back in terror, and threw the
whole team into