The
bewildering glare had come from her roaring furnaces; and had not their
doors been thrown open just when they were, she would have crashed at
full speed into the raft, with such consequences as can easily be
imagined. As it was she was barely able to sheer off in time, and a
score of voices hurled back angry threats at the supposed crew of the
raft, whose neglect to show a lantern had so nearly led to death and
destruction.
So long as he could detect the faintest twinkle of light from the
rapidly receding boat, or hear the measured coughings of her exhausted
steam, Winn stood gazing and listening, regardless of the rain that was
drenching him to the skin. He was overwhelmed by a realization of his
situation. That steamboat had told him as plainly as if she had spoken
that the _Venture_ was not only afloat, but had in some way reached the
great river, and was drifting with its mighty current. He had no idea
of how long he had thus drifted, nor how far he was from home. He only
knew that the distance was increasing with each moment, and that until
daylight at least he was powerless to help himself.
As he turned towards the door of the "shanty," he stumbled over
something, which, by stooping, he discovered to be the branch of a
tree. To the keen-witted boy this was like the sight of a printed page.
Pages:
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46