The left wall came down very straight into the water and threw a deep shadow over it so that we could not tell exactly what was there.
Opposite was a rocky wooded point, and between the two the river bodily fell away.

Altogether it was a beautiful, though a startling picture.
The whole set of the current was towards this drop with headlong fury.
There were no eddies, no slack water of any kind.

But we could not do such a foolhardy thing as to go into it without knowing what it was and therefore a landing was imperative.

Accordingly we headed for the right bank, and laid to our oars till they bent like straws.

We almost reached the shore.