When the raft was repaired, the blankets, arms, and little stock of food
were put on board and securely fastened, each one took his accustomed
place, with Maj in the middle, and the voyage was resumed.
How far they had come, Sam had no means of telling, he only knew to his
sorrow that he was being borne further and further away from his father.
Without this awful anxiety on his mind, the situation would have been
sufficient to shake the nerves and courage of a strong man.
The brave youth felt that he was not only battling in these depths for
his own life, but for the lives of those whom fate had thrown with him
on this most thrilling voyage.
He fully realized the situation, and the fortitude with which he faced
it redounds the more to his credit.
They were on a shaky raft at the bottom of the mightiest gorge in all
the world.
Even if they could reach the top, they would find themselves in the
midst of an arid, trackless desert, cut up by other canyons, across which
naught but the mountain eagle could pass in safety.
The hunger, ever gnawing at his vitals, kept before him the fact that
their provisions were nearly out.
If by dying, Sam could save his beloved father and return to safety his
companions in these trials, he would not have hesitated about facing
death; but as it was, he determined to do his full duty while his
strength lasted, though no eye but God's appreciated the effort he was
putting forth.
The canyon through which they were now passing, had the highest walls
they had yet seen. For more than a mile their glistening gray sides shot
up to the thin belt of dark blue sky, their summits crowned with
pinnacles that in comparison would dwarf the highest and noblest
structure ever built by human hands.
As if resting after their mad dance in the whirlpool, the waters flowed
calmly and silently down, yet with a speed that told Sam they were
moving at the rate of about four miles an hour.
The most wonderful thing about these depths was the dim twilight, and
long before the sun went down in the upper world, the stars were visible
from the bottom of the canyon.
As night approached the passengers scanned the shores eagerly, and
looked ahead to every bend in the tortuous river, hoping they might be
able to find a strip of shore or a ledge of rocks on which to make a
landing, but in vain.
"It don't look's if dar was any more shoah," said Ike, in a loud,
frightened tone, that echoed from rock to rock for nearly a minute after
he had spoken.
"Not within sight," said Sam, with affected cheerfulness.
"Den wat's we to do?"
"We must keep on."
"On de raft?"
"The only chance is between that and the water."
"Dat's so," said Ike, solemnly.
"Too muchee watel, too lillee glub; no likee dis fix belly muchee," said
Wah Shin.
"You must try and rest as best you can," said Sam. "Ulna and I will take
turns in steering the raft."
"All night, Mistah Sam?"
"Yes, Ike, all night."
"Den you done lost faith in dis chile?"
"I have not. Why do you ask?"
"Coz, Mistah Sam, I ain't agoin' to sleep while you weah yorself out. I
may be purty mean, but I ain't nigh so mean as dat. I ken steer in de
dark as well as de next man, an' I'm agoin' fer to try, if so be you
don't objeck."
"Me, too; allee same like Ike. Me no steels so well likee me cookee, but
I tly, too," said Wah Shin.
"I am glad to see, boys," said Sam, feeling stronger for the spirit
shown by his two most dependent companions, "that you are willing to do
your part. If we come out all right, as I believe we shall, it will be
because we never felt like giving up."
"Dem's my sentiments," said Ike, heartily.
"Me say allee same likee dat," joined in Wah Shin, who showed that he
was coming out strong as their trials increased.
Ulna spoke not a word, but in the dim and fading light his dark face
glowed with a pride and pleasure more eloquent in its expression than
words.
To show that he appreciated their efforts, and with the belief that it
would be better for all, if each was made to feel that he had an
important share of the responsibility on his shoulders, Sam decided that
they should take turns in steering during the night, in the same order
that they would if on guard.
These arrangements were hardly completed when the impenetrable darkness,
to which no mortal with eyes could ever grow accustomed, came down on
the canyon.
Sam had matches in a water-proof case, and with the help of these and
his watch they were enabled to mark the hours during that long, dreary
night.
During the watches of heavy, painful darkness, the raft swept swiftly
and silently on, meeting with no mishap but giving to its occupants the
impression that they were falling down, down through the depths of a
rayless and fathomless space.
When it became light enough to see the next morning, Sam noticed that
all his companions looked older, and he reasoned that this was due to
hunger, mental anxiety and want of sleep.
Even in the days of plenty, Ike was always ready to eat, and, as we have
seen, the desire for more food was ever on his mind, from the hour when
Sam thought it prudent to limit the rations.
From the moment it was light enough to see he kept his eyes fastened on
the little bag containing their remaining stock of provisions. It was
evident, from the expression of his mouth, that he was trying to
restrain his feelings, but unable to resist, he at length exclaimed:
"See heah, Mistah Sam!"
"What is it, Ike?" asked Sam, who already guessed what was coming.
"How does yeh feel 'bout dis time?"
"Pretty well, Ike; how are you?"
"I'ze mighty holler!" groaned Ike, and he pressed his hand over his belt
and bent himself forward in a most comical way.
"Hungry, Ike?"
"Hungry!" repeated Ike, "dat ar' word don't nigh begin foh to 'spress
jest how I feel."
"Cheer up, Ike; we'll find a landing-place presently, and then we'll
have something hot."
"W'en a feller's as holler an' hungry as I am, he ain't so mighty
partickler whedder do grub's hot or cole. De question wif him is, is dar
enough to fill up all de emptiness."
"Very true, Ike----"
Sam's sentence was cut short by an exclamation from Ulna, who had risen
to his feet and was pointing to a line of shore on the left, where grew
a cluster of stunted bushes.
They succeeded in getting the raft to this point and made a landing
without any difficulty.
Here they found a great quantity of drift-wood, and Wah Shin and Ike
started a fire while Sam and Ulna, with an eye to the future, selected
some stout pieces of timber with which to strengthen their raft.
"Don't you t'ink," asked Ike as he pointed to their little stock of
food, "dat dar ain't no use in makin' two bites ob a cherry?"
"Why do you ask that, Ike?"
"Coz, dar ain't more'n nuff grub dar foh one right-down, honest, squar
meal, an' if us was to eat it, we'd all feel a heap sight bettah."
"But the future, Ike?"
"Wa'al, sah, I ain't hungry in de futah; Ize hungry right jest now at
dis bressed minute."
"Me feel allee same like dat," said Wah Shin.
As this was exactly how Sam and the uncomplaining Ulna felt, the former
gave orders to warm up all the food and divide it into five shares, one
of which was to be for Maj.
They had a good supply of coffee left and a few pounds of bread with a
like quantity of meat.
We shall not attempt to describe that feast. Only those who have long
endured the pangs of hunger can appreciate it.
Each one rose from the banquet much relieved and refreshed, and in their
enjoyment of the present they quite lost sight of the fact that their
last particle of food was gone.