The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1897-03-19
pendicular wall of rock, but where we t
stood a bare, stony beach sloped up to d

pendicular wall of rock, but where we
stood a bare, stony beach sloped up to
the edge of the forest. A little distance
out in the stearm a long ledge of granite
rose from its bed, making a knife-like
island and cleaving the river into I'M
the narrower Of the two, but it descend
ed at a very steep angela swift, sluice
like slide Of black water. Near the top
n few logs had lodged, one of them lying
i'll such a position as to furnish con-
venient bridge to the island; and on this
we crossed.
All except one Little Jimmie Styles,
who was three or four years younger
than the rest of us, and ought not to
have come, started to cross, but lost
his nerve. Looking back, / saw him
standing on the middle of the log, appar-
emily afraid to advance or retreat That
would never do; so tiptoed back to help
him.
1 don't know just how it happened
the log was Shiny. I presume. 1 had
just reached out my hand to assist jim
ME, but unfortunately he had not had
time to grasp it. 1t was all so quick
that l have no memory of slipping OF
falling. I only knew that my shouting
companions, the light of day, the sum-
that 1 was alone in the grip of the rush
ing waters; that foaming pillows were
courslng over my upturned face; that |
was alone and helpless in the imminent
presence of death.
Have you ever specialized as to how
you would feel and what you would
think at such moment, when the lapse
Of few seconds will turn the scale for
life or death? l had dreamed of it
often; and my first overwhelming i'm
preston was, 1T is come, at last that
supreme moment of my dreams is here"
This thought was instantly followed
by anotber-a strong conviction that
should, after all, escape. This was the
more remarkable, since at the moment
l was absolutely helpless, blinded and on
my back. There was no passing before
life, such as persons who have narrowly
escaped drowning often describe; Ill was
absorbed in those two impressious-a
sense Of the imminence Of death, AMI
profound conviction that should escape.
Then l was flung against something
hard; it struck my chest, and [ .;lasped
my arms about it. This proved to be
another log, one end of which dipped
down into my sluice-way; but it's surface
was smooth and Shiny, and grip it rs 1
might-and was clinging for dear life
l was torn from it by the almost ire
sistible force of the current in which 1
was submerged. Only such an expert
the tremendous power Of swift water.
One good purpose had been served,
however, by my desperate effort ] had
turned over; and now began fierce
struggle with fingers and feet and knees
to lay hold of some crack or projection of
the rocky bed. At length I got my hand
in cleft on the bottom, and with great
exertion drew myself UP until 1 could
brace my feet in it. Then, for the first
time, l lifted my head above the foam.
l was half blinded by the water in my
eyes, but was able to take in the situa-
ton. | was at the bottom of the chute.
where it spread out and slackened a lit
tie before making perpendicular fol- of
several feet into black, eddying pool at
the foot Of the island. l remembered
that pool very well. had observed that
when log shot down the sluiceway I
had just exploited, and plunged down into
that swirling water, it disappeared for
several seconds and finally rose far out
among the big pillows of the main cham
mel. Whoever sank in that pool was
lost. Z
Meanwhile the boys were running
down the island toward me, and the
foremost was Fred Lane. shall never
forget what Fred Lane did that day.
He knelt on the slippery ledge as near
me as be could get, and reached ont his