“I should love to mount on that,” I exclaimed.
“Yes, but it is impossible,” replied one of my friends.
“Oh, as to that, nothing is impossible!” I said. “There is only the risk, the crevasse to be covered is not a yard long.”
“No, but it is deep,” remarked an artiste who was with us.
“Well,” I said, “my dog is just dead. We will bet a dog of my choice that I go.”
Abbey was fetched immediately, but he arrived only in time to see me there. I came very near falling into the crevasse, and when I was on the back of the rhinoceros I could not stand up. It was as smooth and transparent as artificial ice. I sat down on its back holding on to the little hump, and I declared that if no one came to fetch me I should stay where I was, as I had not the courage to move a step on this slippery back and then, too, it seemed to me as though it moved slightly. I began to lose my self-possession. I felt dizzy, but I had won my dog. My excitement was over and I was seized with fright. Everyone gazed at me in a bewildered way and that increased my terror. My sister went into hysterics, and my dear Guérard groaned in a heartrending way: “O God, my dear Sarah! O God!” The artist was making sketches and fortunately the company had gone on up in order to get to the rapids in time. Abbey besought me to return; poor Jarrett besought me. But I felt dizzy and I could not and would not cross again. Angelo then sprang across the crevasse and remaining there called for a plank of wood and a hatchet.
“Bravo! Bravo!” I exclaimed from the back of my rhinoceros.
The plank was brought. It was an old, black-looking piece of wood and I glanced at it suspiciously. The hatchet cut into the tail of my rhinoceros and the plank was fixed firmly by Angelo on my side and held by Abbey, Jarrett, and Claude, on the other. I let myself slide over the crupper of my rhinoceros and I then started, not without terror, along the rotten plank of wood which was so narrow that I was obliged to put one foot in front of the other, the heel over the toe. I returned in a very feverish state to the hotel, and the artist brought me the droll sketches he had made.
After a light luncheon I was to start again by the train which had been waiting for us twenty minutes. All the others had taken their places some time before. I was leaving without having seen the rapids in which my poor Pittsburg friend met his death.
Our great voyage was drawing toward its close. I say great voyage for it was my first one. It lasted for eight months. The voyages I have since undertaken were always from eleven to sixteen months.