Part 50 (2/2)

When I told Desiree she stared at th of her hope Speechless with disappointht ahead at the black, unyielding rock

Harry knelt beside her with his arm across her shoulders

I roused hiet busy! A few hours in this hole and we'd suffocate Do you realize that we've got to pull this raft back against the current?”

First it was necessary to repair the rent in the hide covering This we did with strips of hide; and barely in ti wider every e But we soon had the ends sewed firether and turned our hands to the main task

It appeared to be not only difficult, but actually iainst the swift current We were jaainst the rock with all the force ofa purchase on the ith our hands, we shoved the raft to one side; but as soon as we got to the wall on the left the whirling streaain, and we found ourselves back in our original position, only with a different side of the raft against the rock That happened three tiht instead of the left, but with no better success The force of the current, coainst the unwieldy raft, was irresistible Tiain we shoved round and started upstreaainst the rock

We tried our spears, but their shafts were so slender that they were useless We took the oar and, placing its end against the wall, shoved with all our strength The oar snapped in two and we fell forward against the wall We tore off some of the strips of hide from the raft and tried to fasten them to the wall on either side, but there was no protuberance that would hold the remained to be done

Harry and I held a consultation then and agreed on the only possible means of escape I turned to Desiree:

”Can you swiainst that”--pointing to the whirling water--”I do not know I can try”

I, who remember the black fury of that streae of her

We lost no ti us with every breath we took Our preparations were few

The two spears and about half of the provisions we strapped to our backs--an inconsiderable load which would ha, which was very little I took the heavy skin which Desiree had worn and began to strap it also on top of my bundle, but she refused to allow it

”I will not permit you to be handicapped with my modesty,” she observed

Then, with Desiree between us, we stepped to the edge of the raft and dived off together

Driven as ere by necessity, ould have hesitated longer if we had known the full force of the undercurrent that seized us frole if it had not been for the support which Harry and I rendered her on either side

But we kept on top--ht our way forward by inches The black walls frowning at us from either side appeared toand desperate struggle; but when I gave a quick glance behind I saw that we had pulled so far away froaveassurance to Harry and Desiree, I redoubled my efforts Desiree was by now almost able to hold her own, but we still supported her

Every strokeus away from the whirlpool, and soon a became the resistance of the current, until finally it was possible to float easily on our backs and rest

”How far is it to the cavern?” Harry panted

”Somewhere between one and ten miles,” was my answer ”How the deuce should I know? But we'll make it now, I think Can you hold out, Desiree?”

”Easily,” she answered ”If only I could get soer, and on that account no tiain we struck out into the blackness ahead I felt an to doubt seriously if we should reach our goal

But we reached it No need to recount our struggles, which toward the end were inspired by suffering aasped for sufficient air to keep us up

Another hundred yards would have been too ered onto the bank at the entrance to the cavern in which we had previously rested, panting, dizzy, and completely exhausted

But an hour in the cavern, with its supply of air, revived us; and then we sat up and asked ourselves: ”What for?”

”And all that brings us--to this,” said Harry, with a sweeping gesture round the cavern