The sea coast echo., 1897-05-15

all hazards. The Indian, after push
ing the boat little way out into the
water went back, and from under a
stump brought out dirty old sail.
The wind was blowing n stiff breeze
down the river, and the sight OF that
sail gave me the cold shvers. There
was no use demonstrating with him,
for he evidently couldn't understand
me, 30 l watched him dsmally whilu
he shipped 1t. and thought OF the wife
and baby had left in Boston. The
Indian had evidently noticed my tre-
pidation, for he stopped abruptly and
held ont his hand suggestivoly. Iput
tho stipulated SO in his palm aud he
then motioned me to get in tho boat.
must confess that never hated to
do thing in my life as did to step
into that riokety box OF boat. Ibid
it. however, sort of fascination
drawing mo on that could hardly re-.
sist, and / sat down on ono OF the
thwarts, with the water in the bottom
OF the boat running into every Granny
OF my shoes.
"The next instant the Indian pushed
the boat out into tho stream and
jumped into the bow. Tho wind caught
the sail, which was tied fast aft, and
the little craft careened, till the water
poured in over the gunwale, but the
Indian was quick, and second later
he had seized the tiller and brought
her around, catching tho wind and
sending us out into the stroam and
almost utter darkness. / noticed that
/ the current was very swift, and that in
spite Of tho sail wo were drifting down
stream rapidly.
II didn't know what was below us,
or this would have added to my men-
tai condition. Soon the dim black
line that marked the mountains back
OF us faded, and / could make nothing
out but the boat and the form of the
old Indian crouched down In the
stern. We soon found ourselves in
the midst OF driftwood, into which the
boat kept humping and sliding over
ut an alarming rate. We struggled
on in this iitfnl way for what seemed
to me an hour. ] was chilled to the
bone, and there was something in that
terrible darkness amid the wailing OF
the wind 80 suggestive OF death aud
it's horrors that ] wonder my hair
didn't turn gray with fright.
"All OF suddon some great big
black object seemed TO jump up right
in front OF us, and before ] know what
had happened, over went the boat and
threw us out into the icy water OF the
Columbia.
~ am pretty good swimmer and
| got to tho surface in pretty quick
time and grabbed tho nearest piece OF
driftwood / could find. which proved
to be big railroad tie. Frightened
and chilled as was, could not help
looking around for tho Indian, but
failed to see anything OF him or the
boat, the swirling eddies in that swift
running current having separated us
80 that we we're lost to one another
81 kept on aoating down tho river
in totally helpless condition, for the
cold had numbed my limbs so that
could scarcely maintain my hold on
tho log. ], however, could see the
faint outline OF what supposed was
the shore and / used my hands, with
my body across the tie, to paddle
toward the shore. felt that my only
salvation now lay in reaching the
shore as soon as possible, for the
water was so icy cold that / felt that
! could not holdon much longer.
''As / drifted along dull roar,
which l had noticed several times
above the sound OF tho wind, made it.
self audible. Louder and louder the
sound grew, and it was not until it
drowned almost every other sound
| around that it dawned upon my be.
numbed senses that Wyeth was only n
few miles above tho Cascades, and /
then realized that I was swiftly and
surely drifting to my certain death
into the terrible and resistless gorge
OF the Columbia.
"Then my heart stood still and the
horror Of my hopeless situation stood
| out clear in my mind. The current
was growing swifter and swifter and /
now gave up all hope and in my des-
peration / considered the advisabiIity
of letting go the log and dying there
before should bc swept into the
fearful rapids. / was really about de-
Gliding to do so, and had given my
wife and child last thought. when
was recalled TO my senses by the log
striking something solid, and being
checked in its course, while tho cur
rent piled up II great body OF water all
around us. I Ireached out for tho oh.