Describe the Gilo River crossing from start to finish. There should be at least 5 sentences needed to describe this scene, AT LEAST 5, you may need more.

The soldiers prod the people forward. Some jump into the river of their own accord, and are swept away. A young man jumps in and begins to make some progress, but to the people’s horror the telltale flick of a crocodile’s tail appears, and the man is pulled under the water.

Suddenly the soldiers start shooting at the people in the river. Salva is confused but knows he has to jump in. A boy next to him grabs onto him and he is pushed under. He cannot breathe. The boy lets up, though, and Salva sees that the boy was shot and was floating away. He realizes the boy pushing him under actually saved his life.

It is a horrifying scene: “the rain, the mad current, the bullets, the crocodiles, the welter of arms and legs, the screams, the blood…” (79). It feels like years but Salva makes it across. Later he learns at least a thousand people died in that crossing, whether from bullets or crocodiles. Salva does not understand why he was one of the lucky ones.