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 trying to land. You couldn't, the way the rocks went up. You've seen a canyon, David. You just had to go with the water and beat and beat with all your strength till you could get to the top and suck in a breath.

"Then all of a sudden it stopped, when it looked like it never would. The canyon, I mean. We weren't in the water; we were ashore. We were lying side by side on some rocks and we were holding on to each other laughing; and I wasn't tired at all. Sam wasn't tired."

She stopped with her bosom rising and falling not from her effort in speaking; she was living again that moment on the rock in Sam Bolton's arms and David saw her eyes agleam.

"I felt wonderful, David. I thought I'd have to fight the water maybe an hour more; I didn't know; then it was all over and I had all that strength left. Sam felt the same way. It was just about noon and he said: 'We can be married this afternoon and come back here and camp beside this damned river.'

"That's what he said, David. We'd beaten the river, you see; we'd beaten it together. But he didn't feel through; I didn't. I felt just sort of only started. I wanted to do something else hard and risky that I'd never done before. I said, 'All right, Sam.' I was lying on a rock, I remember; it was in the sun and hot. He'd let go of me and I sat up in the sun with my hair down to get it dry."

"Damn!" cried David and saw her in the sun with her hair down and Bolton's arms about her.

"That's the way it was! We walked to the nearest