The Perils of the River
THE correspondent's fear was only too well grounded. Just before
midday an ominous increase in the rate of the stream betokened
cataracts or rapids ahead. But, in spite of the accelerated speed of
the boat, the implacable Arabs held tenaciously to their tactics of
riding ahead and firing volleys from ambush. To reply would have been
a waste of ammunition, for owing to the swirling of the current it
was impossible for the crew to take a careful aim at their foes.
Reeves calculated that nearly five hundred shots had been fired at
the boat without much damage being done; but at length one bullet did
more harm than all the rest put together. Cutting through the
halyards, it brought the sail down with a run, and the unwieldy craft
swung round broadside on to the stream.
Without hesitation, Reeves seized another piece of rope and began to
climb the mast. His appearance attracted a heavy fire, the bullets
whizzing unpleasantly close. One grazed his ankle, and another cut
the rope he was holding close to his head, so that he was compelled
to descend without having achieved his object.
There was no help for it but to make use of the oars, and, cowering
behind the rough-and-ready breastwork, the lads contrived to get the
boat's head round, while Reeves recovered his breath before he
essayed a fresh attempt.
Just as he was preparing to go aloft once more, he happened to glance
ahead. To his horror he found that the river was about to traverse a
narrow gorge, while the actual stream was encumbered with huge rocks,
between which the water surged furiously.
Springing forward, the correspondent dropped the stone that served as
an anchor overboard, paying out just sufficient cable to check the
boat's way, the lump of stone bumping and scraping over the bottom of
the river. The craft swung round, head pointing upstream, and by
manipulating the long, steering oar Reeves was able to keep her
fairly under control.
He had to stand upright--a target for the Bedouins' muskets; but,
ignoring the danger, he kept his face turned resolutely towards the
cataract, knowing that to strike upon one of those wicked-looking
rocks meant total disaster.
The range, too, was decreasing, and with redoubled shouts the Arabs,
thinking that the occupants of the boat were too busy to reply,
sprang boldly from cover and, leaping from rock to rock, came as
close to the water's edge as they possibly could. But Hugh was equal
to the occasion. Ramming a handful of duck shot down the barrel of
his musket he let fly at those of the Bedouins who were nearest to
him. Maddened with the pain of a dozen slight wounds, three of the
Arabs dropped their guns and literally danced, their shouts of
anguish so alarming their companions that they bolted for cover.
The precipitous sides of the gorge prevented further pursuit; but the
aspect was alarming enough, for the craft, in spite of the trailing
stone, was darting through the boiling water with the velocity of a
torpedo boat.
Bracing himself at the rudder, Reeves veered the lumbering boat as
skilfully as he could, missing sharp, spray-flecked rocks by a
handbreadth. Every now and then a vicious-crested wave would pour
over the gunwale of the plunging craft, till the weight of water
aboard began to make itself felt.
"Bale for all you're worth!" gasped Reeves, who was wellnigh
breathless with the strain of holding the steering oar. "And look out
for the powder. Keep it dry at all costs."
Gerald plied a wooden bowl as vigorously as he possibly could, while
Hugh, holding on with difficulty, contrived to lift the bag of powder
and place it on the small decked-in part of the bows.
For nearly ten minutes the nerve-racking ordeal lasted--Reeves
afterwards said that it was one of the tightest places he had ever
been in--while the distance covered in that time could hardly have
been less than six miles. But the end of the gorge was now in sight.
The wearied steersman gave an exclamation of relief, when, with a
strange shudder, the boat swung round like a top, and, broadside on,
drifted upon almost the last rock of the cataract.
By an almost superhuman effort Reeves succeeded in bringing the bows
round; but it was just too late. The stern crashed upon the rock with
a shock that threw the three occupants sprawling into the bottom of
the boat, and the next thing they were aware of was that the craft
was spinning slowly in the still agitated current, while the water
was pouring in through the bottom or garboard strakes like a mill
stream.
"Come for'ard, both of you!" shouted the correspondent, and whipping
out his knife he cut the sail from the yard. Hastily rolling the
canvas, he placed it over the damaged planks, which had the effect of
considerably checking the inrush of water.
Then, rejoining his companions in the bows, he seized an oar, told
Gerald to do the same, and kept the nearly water-logged craft on her
course, while Hugh plied the baler.
They had now time to look about them. The gorge was left far astern,
and the desert stretched for miles ahead and on either hand. The
banks were now covered with coarse vegetation. Astern rose the
mountains through which they had so wonderfully passed, and, looking
at that formidable barrier, Reeves realized that they were far beyond
the reach of their ferocious pursuers. The current, too, though
swift, no longer surged madly between jagged rocks, but flowed
silently, showing that the river had increased in depth.
"Now, what's to be done?" exclaimed Hugh, who had managed to get rid
of most of the undesirable liquid ballast. "The water is still coming
in."
"We don't want to be baling continuously for the next three weeks,"
observed Reeves. "We must risk it, and run the boat ashore."
"And trudge it?" asked Gerald dolefully.
"Oh no!" replied the correspondent. "It's not quite so bad as that, I
hope. Unless I'm very much mistaken, those small bushes growing on
the banks have their roots set in clay and not in sand. Clay is an
excellent leak-stopper. I don't think we need fear a surprise visit
from our late hostile friends, the Arabs; but we must take due
precautions. While Gerald and I are plugging the hole, you, Hugh, had
better go ashore and mount guard."
So saying, Reeves headed the boat towards the left bank, or the
opposite one to that on which the Arabs had appeared. As the craft
drew away from the middle of the stream the current became much less
rapid, and by the time her bow grounded there was hardly any motion
in the water at all. If anything, there was a slight eddy upstream.
As the correspondent had suggested, the soil on the banks was
composed of clay, of a dark slate colour. While Hugh patrolled the
bank, his comrades dug up lumps of the viscous earth with their
knives and dumped them down on the hole. The actual aperture was less
than two inches in diameter, but the planking had been fractured for
nearly a foot on all sides of it. A few lumps were sufficient to
check the inflow completely, but Reeves insisted on placing more clay
over the weak spot, till a layer nearly a foot thick lay evenly over
the damaged part.
"That's a good job done," said the correspondent. "A few hours' sun
will bake the stuff as hard as a brick. It will serve as a hearth to
light our fire upon."
"Then we don't require the stone," said Gerald, looking at the slab
that did duty for cooking purposes.
"Don't we, by Jove!" exclaimed Reeves. "I think we do. Do you know
how we were nearly smashed up?"
"By running on a rock, I suppose."
"Exactly! But why could I not avoid it, as I did the others? I'll
tell you. The continual scraping over the rocky bed of the river
chafed through the rope holding our anchor. We've still got most of
the rope; this stone must be our new anchor."
For the next seven days the voyage continued almost without incident.
On the eighth day the travellers found themselves on a vast lake,
caused by the expansion of the river. So shallow was it that on
several occasions the boat stuck hard and fast almost beyond sight of
land; but by all hands jumping overboard and lightening the craft
they contrived to get her off.
Just before sunset the boat stuck again, this time about three miles
from the lower end of the lake; and in spite of the crew's hardest
exertions she obstinately refused to budge. They tried to lessen her
draught by placing her cargo all on one side, and then in the bow, in
case she drew more aft than forward, but all to no purpose.
"Stand by for a spell!" exclaimed Reeves, who, like the others, was
wellnigh breathless with his exertions. Stooping down, he stuck his
knife lightly into one of the planks at the waterline.
A quarter of an hour later, ere they resumed their task, the
correspondent withdrew the blade. The mark where it had stuck was
three inches above the surface of the water.
"We may as well make ourselves comfortable for the night," said
Reeves. "We may get off to-morrow, or we may not. For some reason,
that I cannot explain, the level of the lake has fallen too much for
us to expect to haul the boat off."
Throwing the improvised anchor overboard, as a matter of precaution,
the wearied crew had supper.
Just before time for turning in, Hugh leant over the side, holding a
candle in his hand.
"There's more water now!" he exclaimed. "Shall we have another shot
at getting her off?"
"By all means," assented Reeves, "if you feel up to it; but we don't
want to get her aground again in a worse position than she is in at
present."
"I'll walk round and sound," said Gerald, and without another word he
stepped over the side and paddled through the shallow water.
"It's deeper here," he continued, after a lengthy pause. "But there's
a rock or a floating log just ahead. I'll soon see what it is."
"You come back!" shouted Reeves apprehensively; but the warning came
too late. As Gerald trod upon the "log" it became suddenly and
violently active, and, struck by an irresistible blow, the lad was
hurled nearly ten feet before he fell on his back in the shallow
water. Staggering to his feet, he ran blindly towards the boat, with
a huge crocodile, snapping its powerful jaws, in pursuit.
With a mighty heave Reeves jerked the terrified lad into the
boat--not a moment too soon, for, in addition to the reptile that had
capsized the intruder upon its peace and quietness, at least a dozen
of the brutes came floundering through the shallows from all
directions.
"Stand by with the muskets!" cried Reeves.
But the caution was unnecessary. The crocodiles contented themselves
with snapping their huge jaws and bringing their heavy tails down
upon the surface of the water with a tremendous crash, and did not
make any direct attack upon the occupants of the boat.
Although Reeves slept like a top, the lads kept awake the greater
part of the night, expecting momentarily to see the snout of a
crocodile appear above the gunwale, and wondering vaguely what would
happen if, with their craft stuck indefinitely upon the sandbank,
they attempted to wade over the wide shallows betwixt them and the
distant shore.