“Hark! I hear rapids or something ahead,” said Guy at that instant.
For the moment this diverted their attention from poor Bildad, who lay in a half stupor unconscious of all that was taking place.
The sound that Guy had heard was close at hand, and in a moment the raft was flung heavily upon a sand bar and remained there motionless.
The channel made a sudden, sharp turn, and the current, being too swift to round the sharp angle, dashed with a sullen splash against the shore.
Guy grasped the torch and staggered forward on the beach. It was the first time his feet had touched land for more than a week.
“Here is shore and rocks beyond it,” he exclaimed. “I see a cavern, too, in the face of the cliff.”
He continued to move forward with uplifted torch. Suddenly he paused and uttered a loud cry. A terrible roar echoed from the cavern a second later, and then with a single bound a great tawny beast sprang out of the shadows, and striking Guy to the earth with one blow of his mighty paw, threw himself furiously on the prostrate body.