all!"

The light shell surged forward to the sturdy stroke, for several of those
behind me were masters of the paddle, and as I plied my blade I felt with
a thrill that it was good to fight the might of the river in such a
company. Snowy wreaths boiled high about the shearing prow, I could hear
the others catch their breath with a hiss, and once more after a heavy
thud the cedar floor seemed to raise itself beneath me and leap to the
impulse, while, with a hardening of every muscle, I swept the leaf-shaped
blade outward ready for the dip. There was spray in my eyes, and bearing
down on us through it a boulder, with dim trunks opening and closing
beyond; then I saw only the bird's head on the prow, for some one cried
behind that my stroke was slow, and by the rush of foam and the shock of
thudding blow I knew that the others' blades were whirling like flails.

The rock loomed nearer, the river piled against its battered feet, and I
hazarded a glance over my shoulder, which showed me a row of set faces
turned toward the bow, with stout arms and the flats of redwood blades
swung out before them, until with a swing of shoulders the heads went
down, and a white wave burst apart before the stern. Looking forward the
next instant I saw that the rock lay right athwart our way; but the others
had blind confidence in our pilot.

"Back ye on the up-stream; drive her yere hardest, down!" he called.

Then the current strove to wrest my dipped blade away, as with the paddles
on one side held fast by sinewy wrists the craft turned as on a pivot, and
lurching on the backwash whirled past the stone, after which the cry was:
"Drive her all!" and we shot away on the eddy with our faces turned
slantwise up-stream. This was well, for close below the whole weight of
the current hurled itself in fury upon a ragged barrier, and I understood
that Hector had calculated our impetus to a quarter fathom. There was a
fight to reach the landing, and with any other than the crew behind me the
river might have won; but four of the lean hard men had fought many such
battles, and though the trunks raced up-stream we closed with the shore
until the shock of the bows on shingle flung me backward.

Our next proceeding was to portage a smaller craft several hundred yards
up the river, for Hector to make the return passage, and then, as we
thanked him for the food and the small comforts for Ormond that he forced
on us, the old man said:

"Ye're very welc