Soon we were gliding forward so swiftly that the raft trembled
under us; from the darkness ahead came the sound of the rapids,
now increased to a roar that filled the tunnel and deafened us. I
heard Harry shouting something, but could not make out the words;
we were shooting forward with the speed of an express train and
the air about us was full of flying water.
The roar of the rapids became louder and louder. I turned for an
instant, shouting at the top of my voice: "Flat on your faces,
and hold on for dear life!" Then I dropped down with my oar under
me, passing my feet under two of the straps and clinging to two
others with my hands.
Another few seconds passed that seemed an hour. The raft was
swaying and lurching with the mad force of the current. I called
out again to Harry and Desiree, but my words were completely
drowned by the deafening, stunning roar of the water. All was
darkness and confusion. I kept asking myself: "Why doesn't it
come?" It seemed an age since I had thrown myself on my face.
Suddenly the raft leaped up under me and away. It seemed as
though some giant hand had grasped it from beneath and jerked it
down with tremendous force.
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