Neither was he alarmed or unhappy.
There was a strain of chivalry and romance in his forest-bred soul, and the situation appealed to him.

He was in a strong boat, his four faithful comrades were with him, and he was piercing a new mystery, that of a vast and unknown river.

The spirit that has always driven on the great explorers and adventurers thrilled in every nerve of Solomon Hyde, nicknamed the Shiftless One, but not at all deserving the title.
The boat went steadily on in the blackness and the rain, and Sol's soul swelled jubilantly within him.

He could see perhaps thirty or forty feet ahead of him over the smooth plain of black water, and at an equal distance to right and left the black wall rose, also.

So far as feeling went, the land might be a thousand miles away, and he was glad of it.
"Which sea are we ploughin' through now, Paul ?" he said.