The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-07-28

"hlch Jne waves and spray dashed in deluge,
and lucky 1t was for them that they had lately
refastened it together with the tough and
yielding withes and vines of the forest, for as
1t was at starting, or if fastened together in
any other manner, it had surely gone to pieces
at the very entrance of the ghaut The mo-
ton was so violent that Franklin was COM
PEELED to abandon the helm and crawl to the
centre of the raft, to avoid the blows from the
oar, and all agree that he was the only cool
and collected man in the party. As the raft,
with the speed of an arrow, shot into the
yawnlng jaws of the canyon, he coolly drew
out his watch and noted the time of entrance.
The swirl and angry look of the waters
were tnghtful and the noise deafening as
the broad river was here compressed into less
than 300 feet A twilight gloom pervaded
this chaos of water and sound The everlast-
ing porphyritic walls lowered far overhead
and seemed to beetle and almost touch in the
immensely of height as a faint ribbon of blue
sky was alone visible from the obscurity that
enveloped their rushing raft. Into the rift
and darkness-into the kissing sluice they
shot with such terrific speed as to almost take
away their breath and throw them from the
raft, to which they were forced to cling with
all their might. They expected every instant
and each instant seemed an age--to see the
raft engulfed, upset, and dashed to pieces
Countless ages of rushing waters had worn
away the hard porphyritic walls on either side
until they projected in places thirty and forty
feet over the abrading current. There oc-
curredopposite angles where the current struck
IN full force, to again rebound to the oppo-
site side. The darkness under such places
was profound; but, fortunately for our adven
turers, 1t was the season of low water-other-
wise they would have been crushed by the
low, overhanging rocks. The mighty convItl-
sions that had riven the mountain for the
passage of the river had torn it apart rag
gedly, with many sharp angles, like the teeth
of a saw, around which the imprisoned waters
rushed with awful force and speed, to eat
away the rock opposite each point and, re-
bounding, rush for the next below. These
sharp points, projecting into angles on the op-
posite sde are similar to those described by
DIR. Livingstone as occurring below the falls
of the Zambesi, only that this canyon was
much narrower, and the rocky wall on either
side inconceivably higher.
The pressure and rush of waters were 50
tremendous as to be visibly higher near the
sides than in mid-channel. Past the first
point rushed the frail raft-its inner side up
in the air its outer immersed in the foaming
current-to dart across the channel into the
darkness in one Of these recesses won by
time, in which they expected to be crushed or
forever engulfed. But the higher swell next
the rock saved them. Crash went the oar ON
the side, and round swung the raft as it shot
out into mid current, to sweep onward past
the second point, and again plunge under the
recess yawninG opposite. Crash went the re-
manning sweep as the straining raft once
more darted out on its headlong race. The
place truly deserved the name of the Can
yon of Life and Death both the ear and
eye were appalled, by the terrible sounds
and sights that met them at every turn. 1t
was a horrible place, and they were impotent
| before the frightful power of the cataract
Many of the pale, shivering wretches laid on
| their faces, clinging to the fastenings with
closed eyes, as if to brace themselves for the
! launch into eternity; but a few gazed on with
confused horror as one danger after another
was past before it could be realized. Some
times the raft would spin around in huge
whirlpool, the foam overlapping it on every
side; again it would rush along on its edge, as
if about to capsize then, settling down,
plunge forward with the speed of cannon
ball Time seemed annihilated to some and
endless to others, in the Tartarean gloom OF
the awful gauntlet they were running. The
suspense was terrible; how and when would
it end?
At length they entered on a long straight
reach. Far ahead of them they saw an i'm
mense rock, directly in the middle of the
canyon, that lifted its splintered top above
was frightful looking place, and as thel
rushed forward it seemed impossible for tht
, raft toavoid it; and to strike it would be lik
a locomotive at full speed dashing against
granite wall. 1t would crush them to frag
ments. Franklin, whose faculties were no
paralyzed by terror, cried out, Look out
boys, and keep cool; if we strike that rock
let every man that can seize piece of thu
wreck, and cling to it like leech, and per
haps he'll be carried through-yes, through tt
the gold fields he continued, with ironi
language.
''Where 7" said the captain raising himsel
on his knees, his face deadly pale, his teet
chattering, and his eyes rolling with mania
terror. But before Franklin could answer
I the raft dashed past within foot of the rock
from, which it seemed to glide on, as it were
when, VII Ring end for end, it plunged unde
tbsi lee of the rock. The water dashed owe
It. washing many things off, and threatene
TO submerge them altogether. just then the
were startled hy wild scream, that echoe
above the warring waters; and the captain
sprineing to his feet, threw his hands aloft
and, with another Will yell OF despair, leape
into the seethi ug current, as the fait' Wneei
ing swept onw. ard in her race fool te!o"
Terror had de, 'hroned his reason, and, in
paroxysm of fear he had tahSu Snol'er Gu
The eanvon was now straight, but SCENE
TO crow Still mo, e narrow and obscure a
onward swept the raft with ihcohceiVapl
velocity. Interlacinl vines ana IreeS coz coul
be seen far ahead, 'ut, before the tertlne ie
voyagers could specula 'e on IHg PloSPecS' -
raft shot out from aim ost t"lnSnV uarIne
ond the rent recaeeos the mountain int
tbe brood cIare of =, optical sun and IL
smooth waters of Lowell lake dotte9 WI
L. r,,1 IL,