irectly above that spot. The water was naturally
forced through that small opening at an incredible pace. The high
vertical rocks at the side of the small channel which was there formed
made it extremely difficult to take the canoe down by ropes, especially
as the summit of those rocks was much cut up, and we, above, could not
keep pace with the canoe as she floated swiftly down the rapid. By
fastening together a lot of ropes which we had removed from round the
different packages we just managed to make them long enough to undertake
the dangerous task.

The hill range, a section of which could be seen at that spot, clearly
showed that it was made up of gigantic blocks piled on the top of one
another up to a height of 100 ft. At high water the river level must
reach--as was evident by the erosion and other signs upon those
rocks--nearly to the summit of the range; in fact, when I climbed to the
top I found plenty of debris among the rocks, undoubtedly left there by
the stream. On the north side the range was made up entirely of gigantic
slabs of lava some 15 ft. thick and lying at an angle of 60 deg. with a dip
northward. On the south side of the range I had found, instead, great
boulders which had evidently travelled there and were much eroded. It can
easily be understood that when the water rose it must be held up by the
hill range, and form a big lake.

We wasted an entire day trying to find a way to take the canoe over the
hills, as we did not dare risk sending her down by water. My men were
positively disheartened and on the verge of revolt, as they contended
that it was all my fault that I had taken them to a diabolical place like
that. I plainly told them that if I gave them such high wages it was
because I knew there was a great deal of risk, as I had explained to them
at the beginning of the expedition, and I expected them to do some hard
work in return.

"But," said the philosopher of the party, "what is the use of money to
us if after working hard for months and months we are going to be
killed?"

I told them that that was not the moment to argue, but to act; if they
followed my orders closely, perhaps we might all escape alive.

Alcides, who was certainly a hard worker, although not always in the
right direction, had a nasty accident that day and cut his foot badly on
the sharp rocks. He was practically incapacitated for work, as he could
only stand on one leg, the other leg being contracted with the rea