CHAPTER XIX

The Perils of the River

THE correspondent's fear was only too well grounded. Just before midday an ominous increase in the rate of the stream betokened cataracts or rapids ahead. But, in spite of the accelerated speed of the boat, the implacable Arabs held tenaciously to their tactics of riding ahead and firing volleys from ambush. To reply would have been a waste of ammunition, for owing to the swirling of the current it was impossible for the crew to take a careful aim at their foes.

Reeves calculated that nearly five hundred shots had been fired at the boat without much damage being done; but at length one bullet did more harm than all the rest put together. Cutting through the halyards, it brought the sail down with a run, and the unwieldy craft swung round broadside on to the stream.

Without hesitation, Reeves seized another piece of rope and began to climb the mast. His appearance attracted a heavy fire, the bullets whizzing unpleasantly close. One grazed his ankle, and another cut the rope he was holding close to his head, so that he was compelled to descend without having achieved his object.

There was no help for it but to make use of the oars, and, cowering behind the rough-and-ready breastwork, the lads contrived to get the boat's head round, while Reeves recovered his breath before he essayed a fresh attempt.

Just as he was preparing to go aloft once more, he happened to glance ahead. To his horror he found that the river was about to traverse a narrow gorge, while the actual stream was encumbered with huge rocks, between which the water surged furiously.

Springing forward, the correspondent dropped the stone that served as an anchor overboard, paying out just sufficient cable to check the boat's way, the lump of stone bumping and scraping over the bottom of the river. The craft swung round, head pointing upstream, and by manipulating the long, steering oar Reeves was able to keep her fairly under control.

He had to stand upright--a target for the Bedouins' muskets; but, ignoring the danger, he kept his face turned resolutely towards the cataract, knowing that to strike upon one of those wicked-looking rocks meant total disaster.

The range, too, was decreasing, and with redoubled shouts the Arabs, thinking that the occupants of the boat were too busy to reply, sprang boldly from cover and, leaping from rock to rock, came as close to the water's edge as they possibly could. But Hugh was equal to the occasion. Ramming a handful of duck shot down the barrel of his musket he let fly at those of the Bedouins who were nearest to him. Maddened with the pain of a dozen slight wounds, three of the Arabs dropped their guns and literally danced, their shouts of anguish so alarming their companions that they bolted for cover.

The precipitous sides of the gorge prevented further pursuit; but the aspect was alarming enough, for the craft, in spite of the trailing stone, was darting through the boiling water with the velocity of a torpedo boat.

Bracing himself at the rudder, Reeves veered the lumbering boat as skilfully as he could, missing sharp, spray-flecked rocks by a handbreadth. Every now and then a vicious-crested wave would pour over the gunwale of the plunging craft, till the weight of water aboard began to make itself felt.

"Bale for all you're worth!" gasped Reeves, who was wellnigh breathless with the strain of holding the steering oar. "And look out for the powder. Keep it dry at all costs."

Gerald plied a wooden bowl as vigorously as he possibly could, while Hugh, holding on with difficulty, contrived to lift the bag of powder and place it on the small decked-in part of the bows.

For nearly ten minutes the nerve-racking ordeal lasted--Reeves afterwards said that it was one of the tightest places he had ever been in--while the distance covered in that time could hardly have been less than six miles. But the end of the gorge was now in sight. The wearied steersman gave an exclamation of relief, when, with a strange shudder, the boat swung round like a top, and, broadside on, drifted upon almost the last rock of the cataract.

By an almost superhuman effort Reeves succeeded in bringing the bows round; but it was just too late. The stern crashed upon the rock with a shock that threw the three occupants sprawling into the bottom of the boat, and the next thing they were aware of was that the craft was spinning slowly in the still agitated current, while the water was pouring in through the bottom or garboard strakes like a mill stream.

"Come for'ard, both of you!" shouted the correspondent, and whipping out his knife he cut the sail from the yard. Hastily rolling the canvas, he placed it over the damaged planks, which had the effect of considerably checking the inrush of water.

Then, rejoining his companions in the bows, he seized an oar, told Gerald to do the same, and kept the nearly water-logged craft on her course, while Hugh plied the baler.

They had now time to look about them. The gorge was left far astern, and the desert stretched for miles ahead and on either hand. The banks were now covered with coarse vegetation. Astern rose the mountains through which they had so wonderfully passed, and, looking at that formidable barrier, Reeves realized that they were far beyond the reach of their ferocious pursuers. The current, too, though swift, no longer surged madly between jagged rocks, but flowed silently, showing that the river had increased in depth.

"Now, what's to be done?" exclaimed Hugh, who had managed to get rid of most of the undesirable liquid ballast. "The water is still coming in."

"We don't want to be baling continuously for the next three weeks," observed Reeves. "We must risk it, and run the boat ashore."

"And trudge it?" asked Gerald dolefully.

"Oh no!" replied the correspondent. "It's not quite so bad as that, I hope. Unless I'm very much mistaken, those small bushes growing on the banks have their roots set in clay and not in sand. Clay is an excellent leak-stopper. I don't think we need fear a surprise visit from our late hostile friends, the Arabs; but we must take due precautions. While Gerald and I are plugging the hole, you, Hugh, had better go ashore and mount guard."

So saying, Reeves headed the boat towards the left bank, or the opposite one to that on which the Arabs had appeared. As the craft drew away from the middle of the stream the current became much less rapid, and by the time her bow grounded there was hardly any motion in the water at all. If anything, there was a slight eddy upstream.

As the correspondent had suggested, the soil on the banks was composed of clay, of a dark slate colour. While Hugh patrolled the bank, his comrades dug up lumps of the viscous earth with their knives and dumped them down on the hole. The actual aperture was less than two inches in diameter, but the planking had been fractured for nearly a foot on all sides of it. A few lumps were sufficient to check the inflow completely, but Reeves insisted on placing more clay over the weak spot, till a layer nearly a foot thick lay evenly over the damaged part.

"That's a good job done," said the correspondent. "A few hours' sun will bake the stuff as hard as a brick. It will serve as a hearth to light our fire upon."

"Then we don't require the stone," said Gerald, looking at the slab that did duty for cooking purposes.

"Don't we, by Jove!" exclaimed Reeves. "I think we do. Do you know how we were nearly smashed up?"

"By running on a rock, I suppose."

"Exactly! But why could I not avoid it, as I did the others? I'll tell you. The continual scraping over the rocky bed of the river chafed through the rope holding our anchor. We've still got most of the rope; this stone must be our new anchor."

For the next seven days the voyage continued almost without incident. On the eighth day the travellers found themselves on a vast lake, caused by the expansion of the river. So shallow was it that on several occasions the boat stuck hard and fast almost beyond sight of land; but by all hands jumping overboard and lightening the craft they contrived to get her off.

Just before sunset the boat stuck again, this time about three miles from the lower end of the lake; and in spite of the crew's hardest exertions she obstinately refused to budge. They tried to lessen her draught by placing her cargo all on one side, and then in the bow, in case she drew more aft than forward, but all to no purpose.

"Stand by for a spell!" exclaimed Reeves, who, like the others, was wellnigh breathless with his exertions. Stooping down, he stuck his knife lightly into one of the planks at the waterline.

A quarter of an hour later, ere they resumed their task, the correspondent withdrew the blade. The mark where it had stuck was three inches above the surface of the water.

"We may as well make ourselves comfortable for the night," said Reeves. "We may get off to-morrow, or we may not. For some reason, that I cannot explain, the level of the lake has fallen too much for us to expect to haul the boat off."

Throwing the improvised anchor overboard, as a matter of precaution, the wearied crew had supper.

Just before time for turning in, Hugh leant over the side, holding a candle in his hand.

"There's more water now!" he exclaimed. "Shall we have another shot at getting her off?"

"By all means," assented Reeves, "if you feel up to it; but we don't want to get her aground again in a worse position than she is in at present."

"I'll walk round and sound," said Gerald, and without another word he stepped over the side and paddled through the shallow water.

"It's deeper here," he continued, after a lengthy pause. "But there's a rock or a floating log just ahead. I'll soon see what it is."

"You come back!" shouted Reeves apprehensively; but the warning came too late. As Gerald trod upon the "log" it became suddenly and violently active, and, struck by an irresistible blow, the lad was hurled nearly ten feet before he fell on his back in the shallow water. Staggering to his feet, he ran blindly towards the boat, with a huge crocodile, snapping its powerful jaws, in pursuit.

With a mighty heave Reeves jerked the terrified lad into the boat--not a moment too soon, for, in addition to the reptile that had capsized the intruder upon its peace and quietness, at least a dozen of the brutes came floundering through the shallows from all directions.

"Stand by with the muskets!" cried Reeves.

But the caution was unnecessary. The crocodiles contented themselves with snapping their huge jaws and bringing their heavy tails down upon the surface of the water with a tremendous crash, and did not make any direct attack upon the occupants of the boat.

Although Reeves slept like a top, the lads kept awake the greater part of the night, expecting momentarily to see the snout of a crocodile appear above the gunwale, and wondering vaguely what would happen if, with their craft stuck indefinitely upon the sandbank, they attempted to wade over the wide shallows betwixt them and the distant shore.