Part 3 (2/2)

Of course, the reports of the guns htened any other swans that were near It was not likely they would find anyso stoay in a safe place the two already killed, the hunters paddled rapidly onward

They had hardly gone half-a-mile farther, when another flock of sas discovered These were approached in a similar way, and no less than three were obtained--Francoiswith both barrels A little farther down, one of the ”hoopers” was killed; and still farther on, another tru in all no less than seven swans that lay dead in the bottoreat birds alunwales, and you would think that our ”torch-hunters” ought to have been content with such a spoil; but the hunter is hard to satisfy with game, and but too often inclined to ”spill eurs, instead of desisting, again set the canoe in motion, and continued the hunt

A short distance below the place where they had shot the last swan, as they were rounding a bend in the river, a loud rushi+ng sounded in their ears, similar to that produced by a cascade or waterfall On first hearing it, they were startled and soht they Norman could not tell: he had never travelled this route; he did not knohether there were falls in the Red River or not, but he believed not In his voyage to the South, he had travelled by another route; that was, up the Winnipeg River, and through Rainy Lake and the Lake of the Woods to Lake Superior This is the usual and well-known track followed by the _employes_ of the Hudson's Bay Company; and Norman had travelled it

In this uncertainty the canoe was brought to a stop, and our voyageurs re The noise made by the water was not very distant, and sounded like the roaring of ”rapids,” or the rush of a ”fall” It was evidently one or the other; but, after listening to it for a considerable time, all came to the conclusion that the sound did not proceed from the Red River itself, but froht With this belief they again put the canoe in lided slowly and cautiously onward

Their conjecture proved to be correct As they approached nearer, they perceived that the noise appeared every ht; and presently they saw, below theht bank This was easily distinguished by the white froth and bubbles that were carried along upon its surface, and which had evidently been produced by some fall over which the water had lately passed The hunters noed fearlessly forward, and in a few moments came opposite the _debouchure_ of the tributary stream, when a considerable cascade appeared to their view, not thirty yards from the Red River itself The water foamed and dashed over a series of steps, and then swept rapidly on, in a frothy current They had entered this current, and were now carried along with increased velocity, so that the oarsmen suspended operations, and drew their paddles within the canoe

A flock of swans no their attention It was the largest flock they had yet seen, nuht, as Norly rare even in the most favoured haunts of the swan Rarely are ether, and oftener only two or three A grand _coup_ was deterun, and even Lucien, who ht his piece--a very sht have a shot as well as the others

The canoe was directed in such aits head down the stream, it would float to the spot where the sere

In a short while they approached very near the great birds, and our hunters could see the in wonder at the torch Whether they sounded their strange note was not known, for the ”sough” of the waterfall still echoed in the ears of the canoe-ht else

Basil and Norman fired first, and simultaneously; but the louder detonations of Francois' double-barrel, and even the tiny crack of Lucien's rifle, were heard almost the instant after Three of the birds were killed by the volley, while a fourth, evidently ”winged,” was seen to dive, and flutter down-stream The others mounted into the air, and disappeared in the darkness

During the tiuided by Lucien's oar, had been caught by some eddy in the current, and swept round stern-foreer shone upon the river ahead, but was thrown up-stream All in a doard direction was buried in deep darkness Before the voyageurs could bring the canoe back to its proper direction, a new sound fell upon their ears that caused some of the water, but not that which they had already heard and passed It was before them in the river itself Perhaps it was a cataract, and _they were sweeping rapidly to its brink_!

The voice of Nor, ”Hold with your oars!--the rapids!--the rapids!” At the sa forward for an oar All was now consternation; and the movements of the party naturally consequent upon such a sudden panic shook the little craft until her gunwales lipped the water At the saain showed the streaht it was

Far as the eye could see, was a reach of foae black boulders, thickly scattered in the channel, jutted above the surface; and around and against these, the water frothed and hissed furiously There was no cataract, it is true--there is none such in Red River--but for all purposes of destruction the rapids before theeurs They no longer thought of the swans The dead were permitted to float down unheeded, the wounded to ht was to stop the canoe before it should be carried upon the rapids

With this intent all had taken to the oars, but in spite of every exertion they soon found that the light craft had got within the influence of the strong current, and was sucked doard more rapidly than ever Their backward strokes were to no purpose

In a few seconds the canoe had passed over the first stage of the rapids, and shot doith the velocity of an arrow A huge boulder lay directly in the ainst this the current broke with fury, laving its sides in foa ht was again turned up-streaerous rock But they could not have shunned it then The boat had escaped from their control, and spun round at will The rock once ht, but just as the canoe, with a heavy crash, was driven against it

For soainst the rock, remained motionless, but her sides were stove in, and the water was rushi+ng through The quick eye of Basil--cool in all crises of extrelance He saw that the canoe was a wreck, and nothing re the oar, and seizing his rifle, he called to his coether io followed after

The canoe, thus lightened, heeled round into the current, and swept on

The next moment she struck another rock, and was carried over on her beams The water then rushed in--the white bodies of the swans, with the robes, blankets, and i knots were spilled fro sound; and a few seconds after they were extinguished, and all was darkness!

CHAPTER VI

A BRIDGE OF BUCKSKIN

The canoe was lost, and all it had contained, or nearly all The voyageurs had saved only their guns, knives, and the powder-horns and pouches, that had been attached to their persons One other thing had been saved--an axe which Basil had flung upon the rock as he stepped out of the sinking vessel All the rest--robes, blankets, swans, cooking utensils, bags of provisions, such as coffee, flour, and dried meat--were lost--irrecoverably lost These had either drifted off upon the surface, or been carried under water and hidden a the loose stones at the bottoeurs now stood on a s left but the clothes upon their backs, and the arms in their hands Such was their condition

There was so so sudden and awful in the mishap that had befallen them, that for some minutes they stood upon the spot where they had settled without azed after the canoe They knew that it recked, although they could see nothing either of it or its contents Thick darkness enveloped them, rendered ht They saw nothing but the foahosts of the swans they had killed, and they heard only the roaring of the water, that sounded in their ears with a hoarse andtime they stood impressed with the laed theh They were on a small rock in the midst of a rapid river