"Are you ready,
Harden?"
"Aye! Aye! sir!" said Harden, pulling his belt in tightly. "Are you
all set, Ag and Jonas?"
"All set, Harden," Agnew picked up his oar. "Are you ready, Matey?" to
Jonas, who was saying good-by in a whisper to Na-che.
"I'm as ready as I'll ever be, Mr. Agnew," groaned Jonas. "Good-by,
everybody!" stepping gingerly into the boat.
"All aboard then, Judge and Forr," cried Milton. "I'll shove off."
"Good-by, Diana! Good-by, Curly and Mack!" Enoch waved his hand and
took his place, and the racing water seized the boats. Hardly had
Enoch turned to look once more at the four watching on the beach, when
the boats shot round the curving western wall. For the first half
hour, the water was smooth and swift, sweeping between walls that were
abrupt and verdureless and offered not so much as a finger hold for a
landing place.
Enoch, following instruction did not try to row at first. He sat
quietly watching the swift changing scenery, feeling awkward and a
little helpless in his life preserver.
"We're due, sometime this morning, to strike some pretty stiff
cataracts," said Milton, "but the records show that we can shoot most
of them. Keep in to the left wall, Forr, I want to squint at that bend
in the strata.
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