The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1925-11-10
[fl s EH4 \ go
n Rex Be Il !
by with
Lloyd Productions Inc.

built her and l named her."
Danny watched the pilot as he
swung down TO the stony shore and
rejoined Pierce Phillips; then he
looked on in fascination while they
removed their outer garments,
stepped into boat with Kid Bridges,
and rowed away into the gorge.
"lts-sot my goat" muttered the
little jockey.
CHAPTER XII
Although scows larger than the
Roulette had run Miles Canon and
the rapids below in safety, perhaps
none more unwieldy had ever done
so. Royal had built his barge stout
~, to be sure, but Of other virtues
the craft had none. When loaded
she was SO clumsy, SO obstinate, so
head strong that it required unceas-
ing effort to hold her on a course;
as for rowing her, it was almost i'm
possible. She took the first swoop-
inc rush into the canon, strange to
say. in very good form. and there
after, by dint of herculean efforts.
Royal and his three men managed
to hold her head down. stream
Sweeping between the palisades. she
galloped clumsily onward, wallowing
like hippopotamus. Her long pine
sweeps, balanced and bored to re-
ceived thick thole-pins, rose and fell
like the stiff legs of some fat, square
bodied spider; she reared her bluff
bow; then she dove. strouding her
self in spray. j
1t was a journey to terrify expert
enced river-men; doubly terrifying
was it to Royal and Kirby. who knew
nothing whatever of swift water and
to whom its perils were magnihed
thousandfold.
In spite of his apprehension,
which by now had Quickened into
panic, Danny rose to the occasion
with real credit. His face was like
paper. his eyes were wide and
strained; nevertheless, he kept his
gaze fixed upon the pilot and strove
to obey the latter's directions implic-
lilly. Now with all his strength he
heaved upon his sweep; now he
backed water violently; at no time
did he trust himself to look at the
cliffs which were scudding past, nor
to contemplate the tortuous turns III
the gorge ahead. That would have
been too much for him. Even when
his clumsy oar all but grazed bas-
ton, or when a jagged promontory
seemed about to smash his craft. he
refused to cease his frantic !abors
or to more than lift his eyes. He
saw that Rouletta Kirby was very
pale, and he tried to shout a word
of encouragement to her, but his cry
was thin and feeble. and it failed to
pierce the thunder of the waters.
Danny hoped the girl was not as
frightened as he, nor as old Sam
the little man would not have wished
such punishment upon his worst
enemy.
Kirby, by reason OF his disability,
of course. was prevented from lend
ing any active help with the boat
and was forced to play a purely pas
sivc part. That it was not to his
liking any one could have seen, for,
once the moorings were slipped, he
did not open his lips; he merely
stood beside Rouletta. with the fin
gers of his right hand sunk into her
shoulder, his gray face grayer than
ever. Together they swayed as the
deck beneath them reeled and
pitched.
Look! We're nearly through Z"
the girl cried in his ear, after what
seemed an interminable time.
Kirby nodded. A head he could
see the end of the canon and what
appeared to be freer water; out into
this open space the torrent flung it.
self. The scow was riding the bore,
that ridge of water upthrust by rea-
SON of the pressure from above: be-
tween it and the exit from the chute
was a rapidly dwindling expanse of
tossing waves. Kirby was greatly
relieved, but he could not under
stand why those rollers at the mouth
of the gorge should rear themselves
so high and should foam so
savagely.
The bluffs ended, the narrow
throat vomitcd the river out. and the
scow gallopcd from shadow into
pale sunlight.
The owner of the outfit drew
deep breath, his clutching fingers re-
Taxed their nervous hold. He saw
that Danny was trying to make him
self heard and he leaned forward to
catch the fellows words, when sud-
denly the impossible happened. The
deck beneath his feet was jerked
backward and he was flung to his
knees. simultaneously there came
crash, the sound of rending, splint-
cring wood, and over the stern of
the barge poured an icy deluge that
all but swept father and daughter
away. Rouletta screamed, then she
called the name of Royal.
Danny! Danny!" she cried, for
both she and old Sam had seen a
terrible thing.
The blade Of Royals sweep had
been submerged at the instant of the
collision and, as a consequence, the
force OF that rushing current had
borne it forward, catapulting the
man on the other end overheard as
cleanly, as easily as a -school-boy
snaps a paper pellet from the end Of
q pencil. Before their very eyes the
Kirbys saw their lieutenant, their
lifelong friend and servitor, picked
up and hurled into the food.
Danny" shrielecd the girl. The
voice of the rapids had changed its
tone now. for a cataract was drum.
ming upon the after-deck and there
was crashing and a smashing a.
the piles of boxes came ttrmbling
down. The scow drove higher upon
the reef, its bow rose until It stood
at sharp incline. and meanwhile
wave after wave cut like q breach