It took me all
day till nearly four o'clock to finish the raft, but I had still enough
daylight for crossing, and resolved on doing so at once.
I had selected a place where the river was broad and comparatively still,
some seventy or eighty yards above a furious rapid. At this spot I had
built my raft. I now launched it, made my swag fast to the middle, and
got on to it myself, keeping in my hand one of the longest blossom
stalks, so that I might punt myself across as long as the water was
shallow enough to let me do so. I got on pretty well for twenty or
thirty yards from the shore, but even in this short space I nearly upset
my raft by shifting too rapidly from one side to the other. The water
then became much deeper, and I leaned over so far in order to get the
bloom rod to the bottom that I had to stay still, leaning on the rod for
a few seconds. Then, when I lifted up the rod from the ground, the
current was too much for me and I found myself being carried down the
rapid. Everything in a second flew past me, and I had no more control
over the raft; neither can I remember anything except hurry, and noise,
and waters which in the end upset me. But it all came right, and I found
myself near the shore, not more than up to my knees in water and pulling
my raft to land, fortunately upon the left bank of the river, which was
the one I wanted.
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