By the time they had done so the foremost part of the raft was within a few feet of striking a rocky point of land.
There was not a moment to be lost.
Splash, splash, splash, splash, splash, splash!
One after another the horses leaped into the foaming water.
As Van rose to the surface on the back of his steed, he at once urged the animal toward the nearest shore, which was not over twenty yards distant.
He had scarcely done so when he heard a grinding crash, followed immediately by a roar that was deafening.
The timber raft was bent and twisted in a hundred different shapes, and then for a moment became wedged in the narrow gut through which the turbulent water flowed.
This one thing saved the lives of our friends.
The tangled mass of logs stayed the current for an instant, and the water became almost still.
With mighty efforts the horses swam for the shore, reaching it just as the improvised dam gave way with a loud crash.