ure perch to drag the body out on the log, and in turn
load it into the fragile canoe. His only chance lay in towing it ashore.

So, with the piece of line he had brought for the purpose, he lashed the
feet together, and made the other end fast to the bow-thwart of the
canoe. Then he got in and adjusted his stern-line as before--it became
the bow-line for the return journey. In case it should become necessary
to cut adrift from the canoe, he took the precaution of passing a line
direct from his body to that which he meant to tow. When all was ready
he signalled to Mary to haul in.

Now began the most difficult half of his journey. On the strength of
Mary's arms depended the freeing of the body. It came away slowly.
Stonor had an instant's glimpse of the ghastly tow bobbing astern,
before settling down to the business in hand. For awhile all went well,
though the added pull of the submerged body put a terrific strain on
Mary. Fortunately she was as strong as a man. Stonor aided her all he
could with his paddle, but that was little. He was kept busy fending his
egg-shell craft off the rocks. He had instructed Mary, as the slack
accumulated, to walk gradually up the beach. This was to avoid the
danger of the canoe's broaching too far to the current. But Mary could
not do it under the increased load. The best she could manage was to
brace her body against the stones, and pull in hand over hand.

As the line shortened Stonor saw that he was going to have trouble.
Instead of working in-shore, the canoe was edging further into the
stream, and ever presenting a more dangerous angle to the tearing
current. Mary had pulled in about a third of the line, when suddenly the
canoe, getting the current under her dead rise, darted out into
mid-stream like a fish at the end of a line, and hung there canting
dangerously. The current snarled along the gunwale like an animal
preparing to crush its prey.

The strain on Mary was frightful. She was extended at full length with
her legs braced against an outcrop of rock. Stonor could see her
agonized expression. He shouted to her to slack off the line, but of
course the roar of the water drowned his puny voice. In dumb-play he
tried desperately to show her what to do, but Mary was possessed of but
one idea, to hang on until her arms were pulled out.

The canoe tipped inch by inch, and the boiling water crept up its
freeboard. Finally it swept in, and Stonor saw that all was over with
the c