The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1891-07-23
Tile RrscuF.

mlttcd any number OF the poles To litt ana slide
over a rocky head When such one passed
under it lifted basket and all
For a few moments the motion Of advance,
the swaying and humping Of the basket, de-
TERED me from looking at the shore and pass
ing objects, but after passing safely over
some places that had promised shipwTeck, /
looked about, satisfied that for the present, al
least was safe.
MY HEAD FAIRLY SWAN
with the rapidity with which we flew by. The
din of the waterfall behind was swallowed up
in the more immediate roar of the incessant
rapids through which We were passing, rocks
rose before US TO pass under the boat and dis
appear behind.
| could not but admire the cool, quiet way 10
which my men skipped from side TO side, now
pushing this way, now that, never missing their
footing, always giving just sufficient force 10
their pushes TO insure the avoidance Of the obsta-
Gle Any false step would have hurled them into
the boiling current: and this bundle Of bambOOs
called a raft WAS literally alive the poles jump
ing mp and down rs they passed over rocks in
most crazy manner.
lt was not over 10 minutes from the start
until we approached the corner, and was by
no means reassurod by the sounds that came
upward through the gorge. j could ses little
before me, less behind; but the fact Tat did
impress me was that rs the raft rapidly swung
10 the right around tho turn, my men
dropped fiat on the raft and, holding on with
both hands, seemed expecting some new phase.
There were no more rocky upheavals, but the
angle Of the boat suddenly changed, aud / saw
suddenly open before me steep decliyity,
DOWN WHICH THE WATER RACED,
smooth and fat as ice. Down we spun then
just grazing a corner we swept away TO the left,
and seemed to fly through the air for minutes.
y.ir ia1 Ga rltnlf Ia .rff
half OF the raft right up to the basket we landed
in pool, deep but not quiet, for again we
sprang forward. The violent rocking aud
shaking began anew. Two or three seconds
more of rapids and gradually the motion de-
creased, and with shout Of approval the raft
was poled 10 the bank, aud wet but delighted,
j spraHg from my basket and stood on solid
rock again.
Hurrying back up the hank ] reached a spot
from which ] could see the last rush aud the
jumping place over which we had flown. Ii
did not seem much OF fall to look at, but /
had so lately been over the place that believed
more than could see.
Evidently the serond raft had waited 10 give
me a good start, for fully 10 minutes inter
vencd before il appeared from around the cor
ner IL fairly few over the distance, aud
almost before ] could believe il had gone over
The fall. aud, wet 10 their eyes, two OF my CON-
rades few by me down tho rapids. pushed
on 20 the very foot Of the fall, and when there
waited 10 see the third boat IL came at last,
aud then ] saw that though the raft did not
really jump at all the descent was so steep that
the raft could not rise. but had TO
PLUNGE INTO THE FOOL.
The last party were not so lucky rs the first.
For some reason or other the raft came all 10
pieces when it struck the pool, aud but for my
help they might have come 10 grief / was
able 10 seize the ends Of some Of the poles lust
before they reached the rapids and by holding