A crowd of men and boys had assembled on the bridge and anxiously watched him dash down on the rushing waters, in which he was for the moment lost.

Emerging from the boiling foam at the foot of the fall, he scrambled on a rock and stood up to look for the channel.

From that point he had a wearisome pull in dead, choppy water, until he reached New Hampton.

At many places along the route, well disposed persons were liberal with their advice to give up such an "outlandish" mode of traveling and to "git on land like a human critter." Though the advice sounded well, Paul noticed on one occasion at least, that their methods of travel were not devoid of the danger ascribed to his.

Above him, on the grim rocks of a bluff, he saw the wreck of a light wagon, and floating along with the current, were the seat and one wheel.
"Where is the driver of that wagon ?" inquired Paul.