Arizona republican., 1916-09-17

passenger and pilot, but it was nearly under water.
 The pilot gently and cautiously guided the "palo" into the upstream eddy current and moved the craft to- wards the humped-up racing current. With a quick propulsive movement the "palo" with its human freight shct into the stream and disappeared for a moment. My heart sank within me. In another moment we saw them far below, appearing for an instant on the crest of a great rifle wave, disappearing and appearing again, the arms and legs of the pilot failing the water in his exertions to keep the craft at right angles to the flow and to propel it forward. It seemed an incredibly short time before the two had been carried half g mile down the stream. We saw them move into eddy water. the nose of the 'palo' up stream. and soon the two clamb- cred out on the rocks just above the town. The pilot took up his ''palo" and placing it on his shoulder pro- ceeded on his mile walk up stream to again cross to us.
 The interpreter told me that the alcalde had arranged for me to go next. The pilot already had his
 palo in the water awaiting me. l had heen so much absorbed in watch ing the alcalde and his crossing of the rivnr that I had forgotten to dis robe. Since it is customary to wear the least quantity of clothing in this country, it did not take me long fo disrobe and arrange my clothes as per the instructions and example of the alcalde. and l descended to the eddy. The pilot, l had noticed this before, was a big powerful fellow, and calculated with some trepida- ton that he was no featherweight. As l tipped the scales to the figure of 1SS pounds, the fear entered my soul that the "palo" might not be equal to the task of floating the two of us. l gave the results of my fear some calculations to the interpreter and asked him to ask the pilot about ! 1t. l was assured that the two of us would undoubtedly sink the craft, but that the further we entered the water the lecs we would weigh so that We would only go so far. The physics of l this proposition being reasonably 1 clear, l stepped into the water and threw some water on my chest Fur ther I did not follow the alcalde's de- vout example. During all of this time | was receiving an unstinted quan- tity of joking. chaffing and burlesque admonitions from Turner. but I was too much absorbed in really serious ] business to hear much of it. l laid | down on the forward end of the "palo" and the pilot with my bundle of clothes took his place behind. The craft did sink. though as the pilot had prophesied. we did not go en- tirely under water. The eddy cur ! rent carried us in an upstream direc- tion when the pilot pointed the ''palo' in q direction at right angles to the darting current A few vigor ous strokes and We were struck by it. I would have been shifted from my position but that I had a death grip on that ''palo" with my arms. For a moment we were submerged. then perched high upon the temporary peak of rifle" wave; down again up again. while the river bank seemed 10 be passing up stream at express l train speed. Before I could collect my wits the nose of the ''paIo' turned up stream in eddy water and my foot touched bottom. We were across IL was done so quickly that could hardly realize that I had passed the ordeal l looked ID stream and saw the diminutive figure oi Turner half a mile above standing on the rocks where | had left him slap ping his sides with his arms rooster fashion. -derisively applauding my ac- complishment.
 Turner was next The third pilot was lighter in weight and not SC strong and capable as the other tNsn Turner did not care. He placed him.
 self aboard the slender craft with nonchalance and careless abandon that l vertically believe would be hi. demeanor were he entering the gate
 of Paradise or descending into th, Pit It soon became evident that Turner and his pilot were not goina
 to land so high up stream as did tn,
 alcalde and myself. l hastily pickes np two sticks and arranged them if
 the form of a cross and held then
 up before the eyes of Turner as h
 passed. He recognized the symbol o
 his imminent demise. saw his lip
 move but the roar of the rive 1 drowned his remarks Even if l ha'
 heard them. nothing would have beel
 added to this story on account of tn
 censor. He landed 200 yards below