Howland extended a long pole to Goodman and by means of it pulled him to the island, where all were safe for the time being.

Several hundred yards farther down, the river took another and more violent fall, rendering the situation exceedingly hazardous.

A boat allowed to get a trifle too far towards this descent would be treated as the No-Name had been served higher up, and the expedition could not afford to lose a second boat with its contents.

The water in these rapids beats furiously against the foot of the opposite vertical cliff, and if a boat in either place should by chance get too far over towards this right-hand wall it would be dashed to pieces there, even could it escape the rocks of the main channel.

The problem was how to rescue the men from the island and not destroy another boat in doing it.