,
Kendricks and I stepped into the water.

It was even icier than I expected, and my first step was nearly the
last; the rush of the white water knocked me to my knees, and I
floundered and would have measured my length except for my hands on the
fixed rope. Buck Kendricks grabbed at me, letting go the rope to do it,
and I swore at him, raging, while we got on our feet again and braced
ourselves against the onrushing current. While we struggled in the
pounding waters, I admitted to myself; we could never have crossed
without the rope Kyla had risked her life to fix.

Shivering, we got across and hauled ourselves out. I signalled to the
others to cross two at a time, and Kyla seized my elbow. "Jason--"

"Later, dammit!" I had to shout to make myself heard over the roaring
water, as I held out a hand to help Rafe get his footing on the ledge.

"This--can't--wait," she yelled, cupping her hands and shouting into my
ear. I turned on her. "_What!_"

"There are--_trailmen_--on the top level--of that bridge! I saw them!
They cut the loop!"

Regis and Hjalmar came struggling across last; Regis, lightly-built, was
swept off his feet and Hjalmar turned to grab him, but I shouted to him
to keep clear--they were still roped together and if the ropes fouled we
might drown someone. Lerrys and I leaped down and hauled Regis clear; he
coughed, spitting icy water, drenched to the skin.

I motioned to Lerrys to leave the fixed rope, though I had little hope
that it would be there when we returned, and looked quickly around,
debating what to do. Regis and Rafe and I were wet clear through; the
others to well above the knee. At this altitude, this was dangerous,
although we were not yet high enough to worry about frostbite. Trailmen
or no trailmen, we must run the lesser risk of finding a place where we
could kindle a fire and dry out.

"Up there--there's a clearing," I said briefly, and hurried them along.

* * * * *

It was hard climbing now, on rock, and there were places where we had to
scrabble for handholds, and flatten ourselves out against an almost
sheer wall. The keen wind rose as we climbed higher, whining through the
thick forest, soughing in the rocky outcrops, and biting through our
soaked clothing with icy teeth. Kendricks was having hard going now, and
I helped him as much as I could, but I was aching with cold. We gained
the clearing, a small bare spot on a lesser peak, and I direc