Near his feet the bleached skeletons of trees, ground by floods and ice, glimmered a livid white, and beyond them the rapid frothed and roared in angry turmoil.

The river had shrunk now the melted snow had flowed away, and rocks one seldom saw lifted their black tops above the racing foam.

Inshore of the main rush, smooth-worn ledges ran in and out among shallow pools.

A short distance ahead, the bush rolled down to the water's edge in a dark mass that threw back in confused echoes the din the river made.
By and by the mosquitoes that had followed Thirlwell got more numerous and when, in spite of the smoke, they settled upon his face and neck he reeled up his line ready to start.

As he did so he thought he saw something move where the forest ran down to the river.