Now, however, they opened them in amazement.
The swift rush of the log to which they clung like drowned rats had
stopped.
It took them only a few seconds to take in what had occurred. The
great log swinging one end toward the swirling current had jammed
clear across the stream and for a time at any rate they were saved
from immediate death. In their joy they clasped each other's hands
warmly but their first rush of relief did not last long. As a
matter of fact they were not any nearer safely than they had been a
few minutes previous.
The log, it was true, was jammed across the stream, but the
consequent backing up of the impetuous current caused it to rush
across the boys' refuge in such volumes as to almost sweep them from
their perches.
It was very evident that they could not hold put indefinitely in
this position.
Their attention was attracted as they clung to their water-swept
tree-trunk by a dark object whirling about in the boiling pool. It
was swept dizzily round and round in ever decreasing circles toward
the middle of the fatal vortex. Suddenly it shot downward out of
sight, but as it did so Frank had seen something that kindled one
ray of hope--though a feeble one. Before the canoe had taken the
fatal downward plunge it had hesitated for a minute as though caught
on something; and then the boy leader saw for the first time that in
the center of the pool there was a rock, although the water that
submerged it to the depth of an inch or so prevented its being seen
at first glance.
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