The Boy Aviators in Africa; Or, an Aerial Ivory Trail

at we are going to have a hard p

n strange varieties and brilliant hues that neither of the lads had noticed that the canoe had drifted down stream

ep banks on either side of them, "we have drifted a considerable d

an hour of paddling, were dismayed to find that although their arms ached with the exertion a

ch for us,"

oing to do?" asked Harr

nute he had entertained a thought of landing and wa

om the water. There was not even a niche in their smooth surface t

shouted at the top of their voices to let their comrades know of their plight, but their cries were unanswered and

grew narrower and narrower and the water fairly boiled in its narrow confines. Its dark surface was flecked with white foam, and to make mat

hite strained faces shone ou

a tense voice as the canoe wobble

" gasped out poor Harry de

ven for the fraction of a second, Frank well knew tha

t they could not hold out much longer. Already their overstrained muscles were only mechanically doing the

their ears a sound that made

eemed blended into one to form the music, of this ominous orchestra. Louder the noise grew and loud

the awful u

whirling, roaring mass of waters that shouted at them like some animal calling for its prey. The boys' cheeks

efficient now. If they had stroked against the rushing current with feathers they could not have had less e

noe was struck

e they by the mishap that it was several minutes before they understood that they were clinging to the

en saved from one death only to face a worse. With all their might they clung side by side. Dripping wet, half-blinded and bruised by the battering

ank?" Harry found

s brave reply in his favorite axiom. "We'll li

ys been in any position to consider conversation. T

s as they saw what seemed the end of their ride close upon them. It was as if the

a strange t

er as they saw that inevitably in a few minutes they must be suck

to which they clung like

cross the stream and for a time at any rate they were saved from immediate death. In their joy they clasped each other's hands warmly but t

t backing up of the impetuous current caused it to rush across the bo

hey could not hold put ind

tex. Suddenly it shot downward out of sight, but as it did so Frank had seen something that kindled one ray of hope-though a feeble one. Before the canoe had taken the fatal downward plunge it had hesitated for a minute as thou

arry and told him

that rock. Keep your mind concentrated on it. Don't let the idea

his head d

I don't believe that I could possibly man

harply. "Don't give in n

thought struck

y longer. Sooner or later we shall be swept off and the longer we wait the

ave of more than ordinary force-caused by the backed-up water striking the log-struck him full in the face and b

ts about for the best means of saving himself. Nor does-as some imaginative writers have told us-a man's whole past life come before him at such moments. No-the instinct of s

he-rock. Try-an

esperate situation held out. As he was swept down the torrent Harry made no effort to swim. It would have been

rling sensation and realized that he wa

zzy, half-choked with water, blinded and almost exhausted Harry, wit

he-rock. Try-an

surface as of what he realized was the end of his journey at last. The great stone was covered with

ent. He knew no more till he opened his eyes and found Frank by his side. Both boys were on the rock-sitting on it in two inches or more of water. Fortu

ank as Harry opened his eyes. "Y

y. How deep was his debt of gratitude to him b

n the rock, Fran

reaching it till I was slammed into it with a blow that almost cracked my ribs and knocked all the wind out of me. I managed however to grab hold of a depression in the surface and maintain my

we could not possibl

ot without a shudder, to the whirling open mouth of t

u suppose?" asked

river I guess," replied Frank

tterly, "if we ever get out of this I shall tell him my opinion

us," replied

di

es

like to

e shove

omething we couldn't catch

t's

r fishing down, here," snapped Harr

r. Desplaines for this pickle. We have only ourselves to be angry with. I don't suppose he

are we ever going

in

beleaguered was not more than fifteen feet across, but on either side shot up walls of

his trap the boys could see a strip of blue sky and the outlines of the graceful tops of some bulbous stemmed palms but nothing else. Once a v

thinks we're dead already

oice echoed gloomi

dy," came back in

in," said Harry in a low tone and shiv

ently, occasionally standing up to get the stiffness out of t

es!" exclaimed

did not like the wild tone in

t?" he ask

o swim for it," replied Harry w

oy had become half-delirious under

he said kindly, "help wi

the river and take us home in the captain

ke a foot of himself brought him to his senses and he said no

s-oh,

ere; cas

look

set the echoes flying

n them and beside it was Ben Stubbs' weather-beaten co

l," cheerily hailed the old adventurer. "We guessed you'd be here and we b

ope being cautiously paid out from above by his companions-the old seaman swung himself outward from the face of the rock and "in a brace of shakes," as he

aviator the end of the rope-"catch hold t

rank, "I can't leave

he's in and you are too weak to attempt to help him. Now no t

hauled cautiously up the side of the sheer cliff by car

pendulum wise-next appeared at the summit with Harry in his strong grip.

k how Sikaso had guessed what had happened when the boys did not return. The Krooman had led the party by secret native tra

ver thank yo

o much pleased," replied the Krooman turning

n it several years ago," s