If we can't get out of the way she'll be on top
of us inside of two minutes more!"
Like young tigers the boys tugged at the heavy sweeps; but they might
as well have tried to extinguish the floating volcano that threatened
them with destruction as to remove that mass of timber beyond reach of
danger within the time allowed them. The task was an impossible one;
and as they realized this fact, the crew of the _Venture_ prepared to
launch their skiff, abandon the raft, and row for their lives.
[Illustration: "Like young tigers the boys tugged at the heavy sweeps."]
CHAPTER XXXV.
BIM'S HEROISM.
As the burning steamboat swept down towards the low-lying raft the
destruction of the latter appeared so certain that its crew abandoned
all hope of saving it; and, taking to their skiff, sought by its means
to escape the threatened danger. It was a forlorn hope, and promised
but little. Even with Billy Brackett's strong arms tugging at its
oars, the heavily laden skiff seemed to move so slowly, that but for
the ever-widening space between them and the raft they would have
deemed it at a stand-still. They gazed in silence and with fascinated
eyes at the on-coming terror. At length, with a sigh of thankfulness,
they saw that they were beyond its track, and Billy Brackett's labors
were somewhat relaxed.
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