Be careful!" Wabi gave a terrific lunge with his paddle and the cone of a black rock hissed past half a canoe length away.
"It's as black as a dungeon ahead, and I can hear rocks!" he shouted.
"Bring her in if you can, Muky, bring her in!" There came the sudden sharp crack of snapping wood and a low exclamation of alarm fell from Mukoki.

His paddle had broken at the shaft.

In a flash Rod realized what had happened and passed back his own, but that moment's loss of time proved almost fatal.

Freed of its guiding hand the birch bark swung broadside to the current, and at the same time Wabi's voice rose in a shrill cry of warning.
"It's not rocks, it's a whirlpool!" he yelled.

"The other shore, swing her out, swing her out!" He dug his own paddle deep down into the racing current and from behind Mukoki exerted his most powerful efforts, but it was too late! A hundred feet ahead the stream tore between two huge rocks as big as houses, and just beyond these Rod caught a glimpse of frothing water churning itself milk-white in the moonlight.