e it," replied Thorward doggedly.

"You will not, I suppose, object to follow, if I lead the way?" asked
Hake.

"Go to, thrall! Dost think I am afraid?" said Thorward sternly; and
then, as if he thought such talk trifling, turned on his heel with a
light laugh, and was about to descend the bank of the river to the spot
where the men stood in a group near the canoes, when Karlsefin called
him back.

"Softly, not so fast, Thorward. Although no doubt we are valiant
sailors--and woe betide the infatuated man who shall venture to deny
it!--yet must we put our pride in our pouches for once, and accept
instruction from Hake. After all, it is said that wise men may learn
something from babes--if so, why may not sea-kings learn from thralls?--
unless, indeed, we be not up to the mark of wise men."

"I am all attention," said Thorward.

"This, then," said Hake, pointing to a large rock in the middle of the
stream, "is the course you must pursue, if ye would reach the upper end
of the rapid in a dry skin. See you yonder rock--the largest--where the
foam breaks most fiercely, as if in wrath because it cannot overleap it?
Well, that is our first resting-place. If you follow my finger
closely, you will see, near the foot of the rapid, two smaller rocks,
one below the other; they only show now and then as the surges rise and
fall, but each has an eddy, or a tail of smooth water below it. Do you
see them?"

"I see, I see," cried Thorward, becoming interested in spite of himself;
"but, truly, if thou callest that part of the river smooth and a `tail,'
I hope I may never fall into the clutches of the smooth animal to which
that tail belongs."

"It is smooth compared with the rest," continued Hake, "and has a
back-draught which will enable us to rest there a moment. You will
observe that the stone above has also a tail, the end of which comes
quite down to the head of the tail below. Well, then, you must make
such a bold dash at the rapid that you shall reach the lower eddy. That
gained, the men will rest a space and breathe, but not cease paddling
altogether, else will you be carried down again. Then make a dash into
the stream and paddle might and main till you reach the eddy above. You
will thus have advanced about thirty yards, and be in a position to make
a dash for the long eddy that extends from the big rock."

"That is all very plain," observed Thorward; "but does it not seem to
you, Hake, that the best way to