While Mrs. Weldon,
Jack, and Cousin Benedict slept in the bottom of the boat, he called
Hercules to the front, and told him to listen with the greatest
attention. The night was calm. Not a breeze stirred the atmosphere.
"It is the noise of the sea," said Hercules, whose eyes shone with
joy.
"No," replied Dick Sand, holding down his head.
"What is it then?" asked Hercules.
"Wait until day; but we must watch with the greatest care."
At this answer, Hercules returned to his post.
Dick Sand stood in front, listening all the time. The noise increased.
It was soon like distant roaring.
Day broke almost without dawn. About half a mile down the river, just
above the water, a sort of cloud floated in the atmosphere. But it was
not a mass of vapor, and this became only too evident, when, under
the first solar rays, which broke in piercing it, a beautiful rainbow
spread from one bank to the other.
"To the shore!" cried Dick Sand, whose voice awoke Mrs. Weldon. "It is
a cataract! Those clouds are spray! To the shore, Hercules!"
Dick Sand was not mistaken. Before them, the bed of the river broke in
a descent of more than a hundred feet, and the waters rushed down with
superb but irresistible impetuosity. Another half mile, and the boat
would have been engulfed in the abyss.
CHAPTER XIX.
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