The Go Ahead Boys in the Island Camp Part 13

Just at this moment, however, they came to the mouth of the river and the argument was abandoned, for the time being at least.

"This is great!" exclaimed John. "I always did like paddling in a narrow s.p.a.ce rather than on a lake or some place like that."

"I do too," agreed Grant. "You feel closer to things somehow."

"You're no closer to the water, you know," remarked George with a wink at Fred.

"Don't pay any attention to him, Grant," said John. "I think we ought to throw both of them overboard anyway."

As they progressed, the stream became narrower and the current swifter.

Evidently they would be unable to paddle very much farther upstream and the young campers began to keep a sharp lookout for the carry.

"There it is," exclaimed Fred, suddenly pointing to a small sandy beach a short distance ahead of them.

They soon landed and emptying the canoes, they started off through the woods to transfer them to the next river. It was necessary to leave the baggage behind to await their coming back for it. Two boys to each canoe they set out, the light boats turned upside down and bearing them aloft on their shoulders. In spite of many groanings from George they reached their destination before much time had elapsed, and then resting the canoes on the bank of the stream they returned for the baggage. This was more quickly and more easily transferred so that a short time later they were once more making their way by paddling.

"Say, Grant," exclaimed John when they had covered a few hundred yards, "how do you know all about these rivers?"

"Didn't you see that map I have?"

"No. I kept wondering how you knew so much about the country around here. I didn't know you had a map."

"Of course I have. I wouldn't know anything any other way for I've never been up here in my life before."

"String thought you guessed at it," laughed George.

"No, I didn't at all," protested John. "I just didn't think about it."

"Does your map say that there are rapids ahead?" asked Fred.

"I didn't notice. Why?"

"Because I think there are. It seems to me that the current is getting swifter all the time and I think you'll find that when we go around that bend up yonder you'll find rapids ahead of us."

"Shall we run them?" demanded George excitedly.

"We'll probably be wrecked if we try it," said Grant.

"We can see how bad they are, anyway," John suggested.

"Yes," agreed Fred. "We'll 'wait and see.'"

"'Go ahead' is my motto when rapids are concerned," said George.

Rounding the curve in the river they discovered that scarcely a hundred yards farther was another bend in the stream. Meanwhile the current was rapidly becoming swifter and stronger.

"We can't see yet," exclaimed George. "We'll have to go ahead."

All four boys were excited now, and there was an eager light in every one's eyes as they were carried along by the swiftly-flowing stream.

Suddenly they came around the second bend, and spread out before their eyes appeared a long stretch of white water. It foamed and danced, here and there broken by a huge rock, black and ugly looking.

"We can't run those," cried Grant. "We'll drown sure."

"Go ash.o.r.e then," shouted Fred, and he drove his paddle desperately into the water. John and George also fought valiantly to divert their course and avoid the rapids. Too late, however, for the current was stronger than they, and with ever increasing speed they were drawn swiftly towards the foaming waters below.

CHAPTER IX-DANGER

"Work, Fred! Work!" urged Grant desperately.

"I'm doing my best," panted Fred, and from the way he drove his paddle into the water it was evident that what he said was true.

They made a little progress towards the sh.o.r.e. They moved still more swiftly downstream, however, for the current was powerful here. For every foot that they progressed towards sh.o.r.e they were drawn a yard closer to the rapids. Unless they reached the bank very soon they were certain to be forced to run the rapids whether they desired to or not.

George and John in the other canoe were in the same predicament. The two frail little craft seemed no stronger than sh.e.l.ls and it was almost unbelievable that they could traverse that foaming stretch of water in safety. No one spoke now; every boy was too busily employed in the desperate struggle he was waging against the river.

The current eddied and swirled. From below came the roar of the water as it raced along in its mad course. Beside them was the sh.o.r.e and safety; below was danger, accident, and possible death.

When the two canoes had rounded the bend in the river the one which John and George occupied had been a trifle closer to sh.o.r.e. Consequently it had just that much advantage over the other. The occupants of the two canoes were too engrossed in their own struggles to take much notice of their companions, but out of the corner of his eye Grant saw that the other canoe had nearly reached its goal.

A moment later he heard a call from the sh.o.r.e sounding above the roar of the rapids below. It was George's voice.

"Keep it up, Grant!" he shouted. "You'll make it yet."

"Stick to it, Fred!" cried Grant, encouraged by the knowledge that their companions had reached safety. "We can make it."

"I'm sticking to it all right," replied Fred grimly.

Closer and closer to sh.o.r.e they came. Nearer and nearer sounded the noise of the rapids. Could they win out? Certainly they could if nerve and determination were to count for anything.

Ahead of them Grant could see George frantically urging them on. He was so excited that he had run down into the water, where he stood knee-deep, begging and imploring his comrades to come to him. Inch by inch they seemed to move towards sh.o.r.e. Their muscles were aching from the strain now and it was agony for both boys to keep up the fight, but neither one gave even the slightest thought to quitting.

It almost seemed as if they were going to win out now. George was scarcely ten feet distant; arms outstretched he eagerly awaited a chance to seize the bow of the canoe and draw it and its occupants to safety.

His chance did not come, however.

Just out of his eager reach a whirlpool caught the canoe. The bow swung suddenly around and Fred's paddle was almost wrested from his grasp. In vain he and Grant fought. Twice the frail little boat spun around and then seized by a sudden eddy in the current was borne swiftly and relentlessly towards the rapids below.

"We're goners!" cried Fred.

"Keep your nerve!" shouted Grant fiercely. "You do the steering from the bow. You can see the rocks from there."

At racehorse speed the canoe shot forward. With every second its momentum increased until it seemed fairly to fly over the water.

White-lipped and with jaws set the two boys sat and awaited their fate.

From the sh.o.r.e George and John watched with feverish anxiety.