Instantly the water started pouring in. One mile from shore, a nasty sea running and a leak larger than a man’s head which would fill and sink any canoe in a few minutes.
The steersman gave one yell and then jumped like a huge frog, landing in a sitting position right in the middle of that hole. He stuck there, shivering, with water to his waist, until the bowman, realizing the danger and paddling madly for shore, succeeded at last in beaching the canoe high and dry.