"I had come about on a tack, and think the rudder must have struck it squarely, for I found that it was broken loose and wouldn't respond to the tiller. It was some minutes before I realized that it was damaged beyond repair.
"All the while, the wind and current were taking me toward the gorge and I soon discovered what a serious blunder I'd made. Down came the sail in a jiffy—but too late. I'll never forget how I felt when the 'Dauntless' made straight for the entrance to the river."
Fenton lowered his voice and shivered.
"Awful," murmured Bob.
"Tommy and I saw you," cried Sam.
"I didn't see anything but that terrible gorge," continued Howard. "The 'Dauntless' wobbled and twisted, and nearly keeled over when we passed White Rocks. Whew!—'fearful' is about the word that hits it. The boat shot into the canyon and I gave up hope."
"We know what sensations you had," exclaimed Bob Somers. "Don't see how they could be worse."
"As luck would have it, the 'Dauntless' was so close to the opposite cliffs when the first valley was reached that I was afraid to risk a swim. So I stayed where I was, and it turned out to be a mighty good thing that I did. The boat hit that jutting point over there, and I didn't lose any time in getting off."
"How about the 'Dauntless'?" questioned Sam.
"She swung around, started off again, and went over the fall."