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farther ahead of us.
    “Let’s catch up to them,” Ramos said. “Come on. Paddle. One-two. One-two. Up-back. One-two.”
    When we pulled alongside the other canoe, the sky lightened again. We seemed to be leaving the dark clouds behind. The water rippled gently, dark under the gray morning sky.
    “The river curves right up ahead,” Ramos said. “And it picks up speed.”
    “Maybe we can coast for a while,” Erin said, sighing.
    “We’ll paddle in shifts,” Ramos said. “Everyone will get a break. But listen up, I want to give some last-minute instructions.”
    Marty and David were laughing about something.
    “Come on, guys,” Ramos said sharply. “It could save your lives. I want you to remember—if you fall in when we hit the rough stuff, don’t struggle. Don’t try to swim out. Your life jacket will keep you afloat. Get your feet out in front of you so you float on your back. And then let the current carry you.”
    “Shouldn’t we try to get back to the canoe?” I asked.
    Ramos shook his head. “Too dangerous. The canoe might hit you or run over you. It’s best to let the current carry you down. Just be careful of the rocks.”
    We paddled in silence for a while. I listened to the splash of the paddles in the water. A flock of birds flew high overhead, black V’s against the gray sky.
    Charlotte broke the silence. “But Ramos, if we fall out, won’t you come rescue us in the canoe?”
    “Too dangerous,” he replied. “I won’t be able to control it well enough up at the top. I’ll have to pull you out down below.”
    “You mean— after we go over the falls?” I asked.
    “Yeah. After,” Ramos replied. “But don’t worry.”
    A chill ran down my back. “Don’t worry?” My throat suddenly felt tight.
    If we fall out, we have to swim over the falls?
    I knew Ramos was trying to prepare us. He was trying to let us know what to expect.
    But his words were terrifying me.
    I leaned forward and paddled harder, trying not to think about falling into the roaring rapids…the jutting, jagged black rocks…the sheer drop over the falls.
    I can’t believe we’re just sitting in these canoes so calmly, I thought. I can’t believe we’re all facing this incredible danger.
    The canoe rocked. We started to pick up speed. The current grew stronger. The rolling river pulled usaround the curve. The canoes pitched from side to side. Waves lapped higher on the sides of the canoe.
    “Whoa!”
    I felt a hard bump.
    Without warning, the canoe leapt up.
    And I went flying.

9
    I flew up—then bounced down hard, back into my place.
    I felt Ramos’s hand on my shoulder. “Easy,” he said softly.
    I turned and saw him climbing out of the canoe. “It’s too shallow here, guys. We hit bottom.”
    “We did, too,” Marty called. His canoe wasn’t moving. The water trickled past.
    “We have to get out and carry them for a while,” Ramos instructed. He splashed into the water. Then he held the canoe steady for Charlotte and me to climb out.
    We all waded to shore. The water was only a foot or two deep. My sneakers sank into the soft mud of the river bottom.
    “It’s only about half a mile,” Ramos told us. “Then the river is deep enough the rest of the way.”
    Charlotte and I carried our canoe above our heads. It was lighter than I thought it would be. Erinand Marty carried the other canoe. David helped Ramos drag the equipment canoe over the ground.
    We slogged along the muddy, marshy riverbank. Our boots made splosh splosh sounds as we walked. The air was warm and perfectly still. No breeze at all. The river was brown here, more like a narrow creek than a river.
    As we walked, my arms grew tired. My muscles ached. I wanted to put down the canoe and rest awhile.
    “Almost there,” Ramos called, as if reading my mind.
    And then I stumbled. Over a thick tree root poking up from the mud.
    The canoe ripped from my hands. I tumbled forward. Into a tree.
    No. Into something soft and dry on the side of