CHAPTER XXI.
THE GRIP OF THE YUKON.
The moments that followed were destined to be burned for his lifetimeinto Tom's brain. Half choked, sputtering, blinded by spray and spume,he found himself in the water with Sandy, completely exhausted by thistime, to care for as well as himself. The Scotch boy lay like a deadburden on Tom's arm, and it was all that he could do to keep himafloat and still keep his own head above water.
Suddenly something struck him on the back of the head. It was thebranch that had snapped off and cast them into the wild waters. ButTom at that moment hailed it as an aid and caught hold of it with hisfree arm. It was a large limb and to his delight he found that it keptthem afloat, aided by his skillful treading of water.
But barely had he time to rejoice in this discovery, when the roar ofthe rapids ahead of them caused his brain to swim dizzily with fear.He knew that in the center of the rapids was a comparatively wide,smooth channel through which they had ascended that afternoon in the_Yukon Rover_.
If the current shot them through this, there was still a chance thatthey might live, slender though that hope appeared to be. But oneither side of this channel, if such it could be called, there uproserocks like black, jagged fangs in and amongst which the water boiledand swirled and undersucked with the voice of a legion of witches. Itwas into one of these maelstroms that poor Tom was confident they werebeing borne.
Now the sound of the rapids grew louder. They roared and rumbled likethe noise of a giant spinning factory in full operation. The noise wasdeafening and to Tom's excited ears it sounded like the shrilllaughter of malign fates. Suddenly something dragged at his legs. Itfelt as if some monster of the river had risen from its depths and hadseized him.
But Tom knew it was no living creature. It was something far moreterrible,--the undertow.
He caught himself wondering if this were the end, as he was suckedunder and the water closed over his head with a roar like that of athousand cataracts.
His lungs seemed bursting, his ear drums felt as if an intolerableweight was pressing in upon them. Tom was sure he could not havelasted another second, when he was suddenly shot to the surface withthe same abruptness with which he had been drawn under.
Ahead of him were two rocks between which the pent up river rushedlike an express train. Tom had just time to observe this and figure ina dull way that he and Sandy would be dragged through that narrowpassage to a miserable death, when something occurred that gave himrenewed hope.
In that terrible plunge under the water when the undertow had its waywith him, the boy, more by instinct than anything else, had retainedhis grip upon the willow branch. As has been said, it was a thickstick of timber and had parted under the leverage of the boys' doubleweight near to the trunk.
What happened was this,--and Tom did not realize what had occurredtill some seconds later, so suddenly did his deliverance from whatappeared certain death come upon him. As the boys were being drawn inbetween the two rocks the branch became twisted around, broadside tothe stream.
Before Tom knew what was taking place, and quite without effort on hispart, the stick of timber was caught across the two rocks, barringTom's progress further. The force of the current kept it there like abarrier, while the water tugged and tore in vain at Tom and Sandy.For some time after his deliverance, Tom was not capable of moving alimb. But now he began to edge his way toward the rock which wasclosest in to the shore.
It sloped down to the river, and on the side nearest to him had abroad base which he thought would prove easy to climb. So it mighthave been had he not been burdened with Sandy, but as it was, thingstook on a different aspect and he was confronted with a task of moredifficulty than he had anticipated.
By slow and laborious steps he managed to secure a foothold on therock and to reach a position where he could draw Sandy up beside him.When he had done this, Tom, almost exhausted, sank back on the smoothstone surface, and while the river raced by almost at his feet gavethanks to Providence for their wonderful delivery from the jaws of therapids.
For some time he reclined, thus getting back his strength andexamining Sandy's injury, which appeared to be only a flesh wound. Theimmersion in the cold water and the amount of it he had swallowed wasprobably more to blame for his collapse than the wound. Tom bathed thecut and was presently rewarded by seeing Sandy open his eyes.
The Scotch boy pluckily declared that he felt all right except for aslight dizziness.
"Well, rest up a while," said Tom. "We've done a whole lot, butthere's a heap more to be accomplished."
While Sandy got together his exhausted faculties, Tom made a survey oftheir situation. What he saw did not encourage him much. Toward thestream were swirling pools and jagged rocks. Shoreward, the rocksextended in a line which, although broken here and there by water waysthrough which eddies bubbled tempestuously, he yet thought might becapable of being bridged. He was pretty sure, in fact, that he couldmanage the passage, but of Sandy he was by no means so certain. Itrequired a cool head and a steady nerve to negotiate the course tosafety that Tom had mapped out as being the only one available.
Manifestly the longer they stayed where they were, the more time theywere wasting. It would be impossible for a boat to reach them wherethey were marooned, and the only course was to attempt to reach theshore. Tom explained the case to Sandy and the Scotch boy declaredthat he felt strong enough to attempt the feat.
With Tom in the lead they set out. It was fully a hundred yards to theshore, and a slippery, dangerous causeway that they had to traverse.But although once or twice Sandy was within an inch of losing hisnerve and the passage was marked by many slips and halts, yet in timethey gained the margin of the stream and drew long breaths as theyattained safety under the big pines that fringed it almost to itsedge.
There followed a short rest and then they set off up the bank, eyingthe stream for the small boat from the _Yukon Rover_ which they feltcertain would be sent out. Sure enough, before long, a glad shout fromTom announced that he had sighted the little craft. At the sameinstant, Jack and Mr. Dacre, who manned it, caught sight of the twolads on the shore. They lost no time in pulling toward them, and in avery short time the reunited adventurers were warmly shaking hands andlistening to Tom's recital of their thrilling escape from a terribledeath in the rapids.
The adventurous lives the Bungalow Boys had led, made them disinclinedto dwell upon the details of the occurrence, but in their hearts therewas a feeling of deep gratitude to the Providence that had intervenedand saved them from one of the most perilous positions in which theyhad ever been placed.
The Bungalow Boys Along the Yukon Page 21
