cover his lost ground.

I did not feel the heat so much now, the perspiration that stood upon my
face was cold, and I gave a start now and then, as I shivered in my
dread, making sure that he was gone.

When at last I saw him get right across, I closed my eyes, feeling so
giddy that I was glad to sit down on my pack for the sensation to pass
off, being quite unequal to the task of going in my turn.

"I wish I were not such a coward," I said to myself, as I looked forward
and saw Esau lying down and resting. Then I wished I had persevered and
gone on, for I should have been out of my misery by that time. Lastly,
as I saw Gunson wave his hand, I rose, balanced my pack, and changed the
side till I made it fit well over my head. I was quite encouraged to
find that it seemed to add to my steadiness, and after taking a last
look round, and ending by fixing my eyes upon a point high above where
Gunson stood, I took two steps and then stopped, saying to myself, "I
shall never do it."

I started again, and from that moment the nervous sensation of dread
left me. I felt firm and strong, and that all I had to do was to step
boldly, and think of nothing but my pack, taking care that it did not
escape from its resting-place upon my head. And oddly enough, my
anxiety lest I should let it fall to go bounding down the slope, kept me
from thinking about myself as I tramped on, with stones rattling, my
feet going down with them, and my breath coming shorter and shorter with
the exertion. But I kept my load well balanced, and went on till I was
about half way across, when the stones seemed to be much smaller and
began to flow like sand. It appeared as if all the larger ones had been
set in motion by my companions, and that they had gone down, sweeping
the surface clear for me to grow more involved at every step, till I
found that no matter how I struggled to get higher so as to keep near
the horizontal line of the crossing, I kept sinking lower and lower till
I felt that I should glide right into the river before I was across.

With a desperate feeling of determination I kept on bearing up toward
the top, but it was always quite labour in vain, through my want of
skill, as the smaller stones being more fluent, I found myself still
sinking down more and more with every step, till, mingled with the
peculiar rattle of the gliding stones, came the roar of the river
foaming and dashing amongst the rocks, and into which I expected to