RESCUED
Not until shortly after dusk that night was Mr. Hampton heard from.
Then a hail from the right bank of the river near the head of the
island was heard by the boys who had taken up their position about a
fire, for the night had become chilly. Calls sounded back and forth
across the water. Finally, assured of each other’s safety, both
parties retired for the night, prepared to attempt the work of
rescue as soon as dawn should bring sufficient light.
Bob as the strongest swimmer of the three boys was eager to make the
crossing. But two obvious enough reasons were adduced to make him
abandon the idea. In the first place, the boys did not possess rope.
That Mr. Hampton had, and it would have to be carried to the island
by a member of his party. In the second place, even though the
current in the right hand channel was less swift than the other side
of the island, yet a swimmer setting out for shore from the tip of
the island would be hard put to it to escape being carried down
stream into the rapids. On the other hand, a swimmer taking to the
water from the river bank at a point considerably above the island,
could count upon making the crossing in safety. Moreover, he would
have the rope from shore and, if he became endangered, his comrades
could pull him to safety.
So it was that one of the two Kikuyus who had crossed the river at
the old camp site the previous day again was selected. And as soon
as daylight came, he set out.
The boys with Matse and their bearers watched from the island. They
had been up since before dawn. On the other shore they could see the
Kikuyus congregated in a chattering group, while Mr. Hampton
directed operations and Niellsen could be seen at his motion picture
camera, prepared to photograph any dramatic incidents as they
occurred.
The Kikuyu, a rangy fellow more than six feet in height, swam
strongly until well into the current. Then he let himself drift in
order to estimate its strength. Satisfied that if he headed directly
for the island, he would be borne beyond it and into the rapids
below, he then could be seen to head straight across stream.
Even then, however, the swift current carried him along at such a
rate as to make it unlikely he would reach the island.
Bob shook his head, voicing the thought in all their minds.
“He’ll have to swim up stream or he’ll never make it.”
Evidently, the swimmer was of the same opinion. For the next moment
the watchers on both the river bank and the island could see him
alter his course and assume a direction calculated to carry him
across the river on a long upstream slant except for the effect upon
his progress of the current.
The boys watched his head, black and round, cleaving the sunlit
water, and noted with commendation the steady rise and fall of his
arms in an overhead stroke that gave powerful impetus to his lithe
body.
“I believe he’ll make it all right,” said Bob, after a moment.
Closer and closer drew the swimmer. And now the boys saw a long thin
line of rope trailing through the water behind him. It was tied
about his waist and was being paid out by other Negroes who were
following down stream along the right bank. A narrow shelf of land,
free of underbrush, lay between the river and the bluffs behind,
affording them sufficient footing.
The Kikuyus on the island shouted frequent encouragement to the
swimmer, who once or twice waved an arm in token of acknowledgment.
He betrayed no exhaustion, although the effort he was putting into
his task was great. Finally, he won through the strongest portion of
the current and found himself in more quiet water, after which it
was only a matter of moments until willing hands had him safe
ashore.
Then began the work of pulling in the line about his waist, to the
other end of which Mr. Hampton had tied three ends of cable,
figuring that nothing less than three heavy ropes would provide a
ferry sufficiently stout to ensure safety in the transport of a raft
from the island.
The question of whether the original raft could be towed around the
end of the island from its anchorage on the side opposite to that of
the ferry was quickly decided in the negative. Inspection of the
route convinced the boys that even if it could be poled and tugged
by ropes into position against the rush of the current, yet the
rocks strewing the river at the upstream tip of the island could not
be negotiated.
It was decided, therefore, that a new raft would have to be built.
Mr. Hampton was apprised of this, and went into camp on the river
bank. There was nothing he could do to help. With them on the raft
the boys had axes for everybody, and there was plenty of timber
growing on the island to build any number of rafts. It was merely a
question of time until a raft could be built, and in the meantime
there was naught the main body of the expedition could do except
wait.
Soon, then, axes were ringing, and there was a great ripping and
tearing of creepers and vines with which to bind the logs together.
Frank had suggested dismantling the original raft and carrying the
logs across the island to the other shore, but this plan had been
vetoed, as to drag the logs through five hundred feet of rank jungle
growth would involve more labor than to cut other logs on the
farther shore where the new raft was to be launched.
It would be hard enough, when the time came, to transfer the boxes
and bales from the old raft to the new.
At the end of several hours, the new raft was built. It had been
made considerably smaller than the original one, in fact, little
more than a third its size. Thus the danger of placing too great
strain on the ropes of the ferry was removed. And the boys found
that, even bearing a considerable cargo and two men, the raft rode
buoyantly, with the top well above water.
“Pretty good job for amateurs, I’ll say,” remarked Bob, as he
contemplated the raft before stepping aboard. He and Matse had been
selected to make the first trip, and the equipment they were to
carry already had been stowed on the raft.
The big fellow had reason to feel pride in their accomplishment. He
himself had worked like a Trojan, doing the work of two men, and
spurring on the bearers to greater exertions by his example.
“All aboard, Matse,” he cried. And the young interpreter grinning
followed him.
The three lengths of cable sent them by Mr. Hampton had been
fastened to a strong tree at the water’s edge. The other ends had
been made fast in similar fashion. So low had the cables been tied
that the ends were only a few feet above water, while the middle
portion sagged into the stream. From side to side of the raft,
front, rear and in the middle, had been tied stout lengths of rope,
passing over the cable. Tied to the forward end, moreover, was a
strong line lighter in weight than the cables, with which Mr.
Hampton’s party could pull the raft ahead. Other means of propulsion
were long stout poles.
Wielding these, Bob and Matse poled out into the stream. They found
they touched bottom for a considerable distance. And all went well
until they neared the middle of the channel, when the water deepened
to the point where poling became an impossibility. Then laying the
poles aside, the two raftsmen seized the cable in their hands and
what with the tugs they gave it combined with the steady pull from
shore, they managed to negotiate the channel without too much
difficulty. Whereupon, once more finding themselves in shallower
water they again fell to poling and so at length reached the bank in
safety.
While bearers were unloading the raft, Bob pointed out to Mr.
Hampton an additional safeguard. The rope with which those on shore
had pulled the raft ahead seemed to him too light in weight. No
heavier rope, however, was available to be attached in its place.
But another rope of the same weight was added. Then Jack was
signalled to pull the raft back to the island by means of another
light rope attached to the rear.
Trip after trip until four had been made the rude ferry was pulled
back and forth across the channel without mishap. When all the goods
carried down stream on that wild ride had been recovered, the
afternoon was well advanced. And Mr. Hampton announced they would
camp where they were until the following day.
“Good enough,” said Niellsen, “that will give me a chance to
photograph the rapids and the water falls.”
“Oh, you found a fall?” said Frank.
Niellsen laughed. “I got cut up pretty badly scrambling through the
rocks and briers to the top of that bluff,” he said, pointing to the
promontory a half mile distant, around which swept the river. “But I
was rewarded when I got there by sight of a water falls that must be
all of seven hundred feet. The river narrows to less than a hundred
yards in width, and a tremendous volume of water pours over the lip
of the falls. I had only a pocket camera with me. Now I want to go
back with a motion picture camera, and get some good film of it. You
lads probably want to go along and take a look at what you missed
seeing close at hand.”
“Close at hand, is right,” commented Frank. “A little more and we
would have been part of it.”