“How about Wolf?  I’d forgotten him.”

“Never fear for him!  He’ll stick close to me.”

“Now, Mescal, there’s the point we want to make, that bar; see it?”

“Surely we can land above that.”

“I’ll be satisfied if we get even there.  You guide him for it.  And, Mescal, here’s my gun.  Try to keep it from getting wet.  Balance it on the pommel—­so.  Come, Silver; come, Wolf.”

“Keep up-stream,” called Mescal as Hare plunged in.  “Don’t drift below us.”

In two steps Silvermane went in to his saddle, and he rolled with a splash and a snort, sinking Mescal to her hips.  His nose level with the water, mane and tail floating, he swam powerfully with the current.

For Hare the water was just cold enough to be delightful after the long hot descent, but its quality was strange.  Keeping up-stream of the horse and even with Mescal, he swam with long regular strokes for perhaps one-quarter of the distance.  But when they reached the swirling eddies he found that he was tiring.  The water was thick and heavy; it compressed his lungs and dragged at his feet.  He whirled round and round in the eddies and saw Silvermane doing the same.  Only by main force could he breast his way out of these whirlpools.  When a wave slapped his face he tasted sand, and then he knew what the strange feeling meant.  There was sand here as on the desert.  Even in the depths of the canyon he could not escape it.  As the current grew rougher he began to feel that he could scarcely spread his arms in the wide stroke.  Changing the stroke he discovered that he could not keep up with Silvermane, and he changed back again.  Gradually his feet sank lower and lower, the water pressed tighter round him, his arms seemed to grow useless.  Then he remembered a saying of August Naab that the Navajos did not attempt to swim the river when it was in flood and full of sand.  He ceased to struggle, and drifting with the current, soon was close to Silvermane, and grasped a saddle strap.

“Not there!” called Mescal.  “He might strike you.  Hang to his tail!”

Hare dropped behind, and catching Silvermane’s tail held on firmly.  The stallion towed him easily.  The waves dashed over him and lapped at Mescal’s waist.  The current grew stronger, sweeping Silvermane down out of line with the black wall which had frowned closer and closer.  Mescal lifted the rifle, and resting the stock on the saddle, held it upright.  The roar of the rapids seemed to lose its volume, and presently it died in the splashing and slapping of broken water closer at hand.  Mescal turned to him with bright eyes; curving her hand about her lips she shouted: 

“Can’t make the bar!  We’ve got to go through this side of the rapids.  Hang on!”