I watched everything made ready for the difficult manœuvre. The _Dantec_ was towed along from tree to tree, to the very edge of the big rapid, whilst behind her came the canoe with a rope passed twice round a trunk, as her bow plunged into the foam. On the stern of the _Aube_ stood Samba Demba, our best coolie, with a coiled rope in his arms, ready to fling it to the _Dantec_ as she went over the rapid. One second’s hesitation, and everything would go wrong, and I was on the very point of shouting to Baudry to give up his plan, but it was really such a splendid piece of daring, such a thoroughly sailor-like thing to do, that I refrained. Yet once more, thank God, we succeeded, coming off with flying colours. Slowly the _Aube_ loosened her moorings, and the current at first took her gently down, then quicker and ever quicker she rushed along as she crossed the _Dantec_. Bravo! the rope, flung with unerring aim, fell right into her bow. “Let go all!” and the _Aube_ and _Dantec_ plunged into the rapid. Will they be able to shoot it in safety? The shouts of the excited coolies reach me above the roar of the water. The doctor and Bluzet have each taken an oar. For a moment I thought all the boats would be flung against the rocks on the left, which would have been their complete destruction; but the next I saw them gradually bearing to the right. At last they were through, all danger past! The _Aube_, swept on by the current, could not stop near the _Davoust_, and there was yet another rapid, quite a small one, below the village. She passed it without difficulty, and went to anchor some hundred yards down-stream, where we hastened to join her. We had done with the rapids now, and not one of us was missing, not one of our boats had been lost. We clasped each other’s hands without a word. But our excitement gradually subsided, and we shouted, “Filey, get us some breakfast; and mind you do your best!”