not until shortly after dusk that night was mr. hampton heard from. then a hail from the right bank of the river near the head of the island was heard by the boys who had taken up their position about a fire, for the night had become chilly. calls sounded back and forth across the water. finally, assured of each other’s safety, both parties retired for the night, prepared to attempt the work of rescue as soon as dawn should bring sufficient light.
bob as the strongest swimmer of the three boys was eager to make the crossing. but two obvious enough reasons were adduced to make him abandon the idea. in the first place, the boys did not possess rope. that mr. hampton had, and it would have to be carried to the island by a member of his party. in the second place, even though the current in the right hand channel was less swift than the other side of the island, yet a swimmer setting out for shore from the tip of the island would be hard put to it to escape being carried down stream into the rapids. on the other hand, a swimmer taking to the water from the river bank at a point considerably above the island, could count upon making the crossing in safety. moreover, he would have the rope from shore and, if he became endangered, his comrades could pull him to safety.
so it was that one of the two kikuyus who had crossed the river at the old camp site the previous day again was selected. and as soon as daylight came, he set out.
the boys with matse and their bearers watched from the island. they had been up since before dawn. on the other shore they could see the kikuyus congregated in a chattering group, while mr. hampton directed operations and niellsen could be seen at his motion picture camera, prepared to photograph any dramatic incidents as they occurred.
the kikuyu, a rangy fellow more than six feet in height, swam strongly until well into the current. then he let himself drift in order to estimate its strength. satisfied that if he headed directly for the island, he would be borne beyond it and into the rapids below, he then could be seen to head straight across stream.
even then, however, the swift current carried him along at such a rate as to make it unlikely he would reach the island.
bob shook his head, voicing the thought in all their minds.
“he’ll have to swim up stream or he’ll never make it.”
evidently, the swimmer was of the same opinion. for the next moment the watchers on both the river bank and the island could see him alter his course and assume a direction calculated to carry him across the river on a long upstream slant except for the effect upon his progress of the current.
the boys watched his head, black and round, cleaving the sunlit water, and noted with commendation the steady rise and fall of his arms in an overhead stroke that gave powerful impetus to his lithe body.
“i believe he’ll make it all right,” said bob, after a moment.
closer and closer drew the swimmer. and now the boys saw a long thin line of rope trailing through the water behind him. it was tied about his waist and was being paid out by other negroes who were following down stream along the right bank. a narrow shelf of land, free of underbrush, lay between the river and the bluffs behind, affording them sufficient footing.
the kikuyus on the island shouted frequent encouragement to the swimmer, who once or twice waved an arm in token of acknowledgment. he betrayed no exhaustion, although the effort he was putting into his task was great. finally, he won through the strongest portion of the current and found himself in more quiet water, after which it was only a matter of moments until willing hands had him safe ashore.
then began the work of pulling in the line about his waist, to the other end of which mr. hampton had tied three ends of cable, figuring that nothing less than three heavy ropes would provide a ferry sufficiently stout to ensure safety in the transport of a raft from the island.
the question of whether the original raft could be towed around the end of the island from its anchorage on the side opposite to that of the ferry was quickly decided in the negative. inspection of the route convinced the boys that even if it could be poled and tugged by ropes into position against the rush of the current, yet the rocks strewing the river at the upstream tip of the island could not be negotiated.
it was decided, therefore, that a new raft would have to be built. mr. hampton was apprised of this, and went into camp on the river bank. there was nothing he could do to help. with them on the raft the boys had axes for everybody, and there was plenty of timber growing on the island to build any number of rafts. it was merely a question of time until a raft could be built, and in the meantime there was naught the main body of the expedition could do except wait.
soon, then, axes were ringing, and there was a great ripping and tearing of creepers and vines with which to bind the logs together. frank had suggested dismantling the original raft and carrying the logs across the island to the other shore, but this plan had been vetoed, as to drag the logs through five hundred feet of rank jungle growth would involve more labor than to cut other logs on the farther shore where the new raft was to be launched.
it would be hard enough, when the time came, to transfer the boxes and bales from the old raft to the new.
at the end of several hours, the new raft was built. it had been made considerably smaller than the original one, in fact, little more than a third its size. thus the danger of placing too great strain on the ropes of the ferry was removed. and the boys found that, even bearing a considerable cargo and two men, the raft rode buoyantly, with the top well above water.
“pretty good job for amateurs, i’ll say,” remarked bob, as he contemplated the raft before stepping aboard. he and matse had been selected to make the first trip, and the equipment they were to carry already had been stowed on the raft.
the big fellow had reason to feel pride in their accomplishment. he himself had worked like a trojan, doing the work of two men, and spurring on the bearers to greater exertions by his example.
“all aboard, matse,” he cried. and the young interpreter grinning followed him.
the three lengths of cable sent them by mr. hampton had been fastened to a strong tree at the water’s edge. the other ends had been made fast in similar fashion. so low had the cables been tied that the ends were only a few feet above water, while the middle portion sagged into the stream. from side to side of the raft, front, rear and in the middle, had been tied stout lengths of rope, passing over the cable. tied to the forward end, moreover, was a strong line lighter in weight than the cables, with which mr. hampton’s party could pull the raft ahead. other means of propulsion were long stout poles.
wielding these, bob and matse poled out into the stream. they found they touched bottom for a considerable distance. and all went well until they neared the middle of the channel, when the water deepened to the point where poling became an impossibility. then laying the poles aside, the two raftsmen seized the cable in their hands and what with the tugs they gave it combined with the steady pull from shore, they managed to negotiate the channel without too much difficulty. whereupon, once more finding themselves in shallower water they again fell to poling and so at length reached the bank in safety.
while bearers were unloading the raft, bob pointed out to mr. hampton an additional safeguard. the rope with which those on shore had pulled the raft ahead seemed to him too light in weight. no heavier rope, however, was available to be attached in its place. but another rope of the same weight was added. then jack was signalled to pull the raft back to the island by means of another light rope attached to the rear.
trip after trip until four had been made the rude ferry was pulled back and forth across the channel without mishap. when all the goods carried down stream on that wild ride had been recovered, the afternoon was well advanced. and mr. hampton announced they would camp where they were until the following day.
“good enough,” said niellsen, “that will give me a chance to photograph the rapids and the water falls.”
“oh, you found a fall?” said frank.
niellsen laughed. “i got cut up pretty badly scrambling through the rocks and briers to the top of that bluff,” he said, pointing to the promontory a half mile distant, around which swept the river. “but i was rewarded when i got there by sight of a water falls that must be all of seven hundred feet. the river narrows to less than a hundred yards in width, and a tremendous volume of water pours over the lip of the falls. i had only a pocket camera with me. now i want to go back with a motion picture camera, and get some good film of it. you lads probably want to go along and take a look at what you missed seeing close at hand.”
“close at hand, is right,” commented frank. “a little more and we would have been part of it.”
