The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1914-12-17
through the door and down toward the

river.
! "Oh, come, comet" she cried wild
ly. There's no time!"
! "But, why? What was that?"
judith is returning. left my
guide up the trail to signal US. Don't
you know what it means If we DOM
manage to escape before she gets
here?"
But how?"
According to the guide the rivers
the only way other than the trail"
1.-THE current is too strong. They
could follow-pot us at leisure from
the banks"
"But downstream-the current with
us"
Those rapids?"
1--WE must shoot them!"
"Can it be done?"
1T must bel"
Two more shots put q period to
his doubts and drove it home. He
offered no further objection, but
turned at once to launch one of the
canoes.
AS soon as it was in the water, Rose
took her place in the bow, paddle in
hand, and Alan was about to step in
astern when a fourth shot sounded
and bullet kicked up turf within a
dozen feet. A glance discovered two
figures debouching into the clearing.
He dropped into place and, planting
paddle in shadows, sent the canoe
we'll out with vigorous trust.
Two strokes took 1t to the middle
of the pool where Immediately the
current caught the little craft in it's
urgent grasp and sped it smoothly
through more narrow and higher
banks. A moment more and the
mouth of the gorge was yawning for
them.
With the clean balance of an ex-
perienced canoeman, Alan rose to his
feet for an instantaneous reconnois-
sance both forward and astern. He
looked back first, and groaned in his
heart to see the sharp PROV of the
second canoe glide. out from the
banks. He looked ahead and groaned
aloud. The rapids were a wilderness
Of shouting waters, white and green,
worse than anything he had antici.
pated or ever dreamed Of.
But there was now no escaping that
ordeal. The canoe was already spin
ming between walls where the water
ran deep and fast with q CLASSY sur
face.
The next instant it was in the jaws;
and the man settled down to work
with grim determination, pitting cour-
age and strength and experience
against the ravening waters that tore
at the canoe on every hand. whose
mad clamor beat back and forth be-
tween the walls Of the gorge like vast
bellowings of Internal mirth.
He fought like one possessed.
There was never an instant's grace
for judgment or execution; the one
must be synchronous with the other,
both instantaneous, or else-destruc-
ton.
The canoe wove this way and that
like an insane shuttle threading some
satanic loom. Now it hesitated, nuz-
cling gigantic boulder over which
the water woye pale green and
glistening hood, now in the space of
a heartbeat it shot forward twice it's
length through q sea of Dreaming
waves, now plunged wildly toward
what promised instant humiliation
and cheated that only by the timely
plunge Of paddle, guided by luck or
Instinct or both.
The one ray Of hope in Alan's mind,
when he surveyed before committing
himself and the woman he loved to
that hideous gauntlet, sprang from
the fact that, however rough, the
rapids we're short. Now, when he had
been in their grasp a minute, he
seemed to have been there hours.
His laborings were tremendous, un.
believable, inspired. In the end they
were all but successful. The goal of
safety was within thirty seconds
more Of quick, hard work, when Alans
paddle broke and the canoe swung
broadside to a boulder, turned turtle
and precipitated both headlong into
that savage weller.
As the next few minutes passed he
was fighting like mad thing against
overwhelming odds. Then, of a sud.
den, he found himself rejected, spewed
forth from the cataract and swimming
mechanically in the smooth water of
q wide pool beyond the lowermost
eddy, the canoe floating bottom up
near by, and Rose supporting herself
with one hand on it.
Her eyes met his, clear with the
sanity Of her adorable courage.
He foundered to her side, painted in.
Btructions to transfer her hand to his
shoulder, and struck out for the /;
nearer shore.
Both found footing at the same !
time and waded out, to collapse, ex.
hausted, against the bank.
Then, with sickening qualm, Alan
the pursuit. He rose and
looked I'm the rand inst in time tn !,