| OCR Text |
Show • 100 EXPLORATION OF THE OARONS OF THE OOLORADO. set of these is given to Howland, and now we are ready. For the last time, they entreat us not to go on, and tell us that it is madness to set out in this place; that we can never get safely through it; and, further, that the river turns again to the south into the granite, and a fe:w miles of such rapids and falls will exhaust our entire stock of rations, and theu it will be too late • to di~b out. Some tears are shed; it is rather a solemn parting; each party thinks the other is taking the dangerous course. My old boat left, I go on board of the "Maid of the Canon." The three men climb a crag, that overhangs the river, to watch us off. The "Maid of the Canon" pushes out. We glide rapidly along the foot of the wall, just grazing one great rock, then pull out a little into the chute of the second fall, and plunge over it. The open compartment is filled when we strike the first wave below, qut we cut through it, and then the men pull with all their power toward the left wall, and swing clear of the dangerous rock below all right. We are scarcely a minute in running it, and find that, although it looked bad from above, we have passed. many places that were worse. The other boat follows without more difficulty. We land at the first practicable point below and fire our guns, as a signal to the men above that we have come over in safety. Here we remain a couple of hours, hoping that they will take the smaller boat and follow us. We are behind a curve in the cailon, and cannot see up to where we 113ft them, and so we wait until their coming seems hopeless, and push on. And now we have a succession of rapids and falls until noon, all of which we run in safety. Just after dinner we come to another bad place. A little stream comes in from the left, and below there is a fall, and still below another fall. Above, the river tumbles down, over and among the rocks, in whirlpools and great w.aves, and the waters are lashed into mad, white foam. We run along the left, above this, and soon see that we cannot get down on this side, but it seems possible to let down on the other. We pull up stream again, for two or three hundred yards, and cross. Now there is a bed of basalt on this northern side of the canon, with a bold escarpment, that seems to be a hundred feet high. We can climb it, and walk along its summit to a point where we are just at the head of the fall. BUADLEY GOES OVI~R THE FALLS. 101 Here the basalt is broken down again, so it seems to us, and I direct the men to take a line to the top of the cliff, and let the boats down along tho wall. One man remains in the boat, to keop her clear of the rocks, and prevent her line from being caught on the projecting angles. I climb the cliff, and pass along to a point just over the fa.ll, and descend by broken' rocks, and find that the break of the fall is above the break of the wall, so that we cannot land; and that still below the 1iver is very bad, and that there is no possibility of a portage. Witl•out waiting further to examine and determine what shall be done, I haston back to the top of the cliff, to stop the boats from coming down. When I arrive, I find the men havo let ono of them down to the head of the fall. She is in swift water, and they are not able to pull her back; nor are they able to go on with tho line, as it is not long enough to reach the l1igher part of tho cliff, which is just ~efore them; so they take a bight around a crag. I send two inen back for the other lino. The boat is in very swift water, and Bradley is t;tanuing in tho open compartment, holding out his oar to prevent her from striking against the foot of the cliff. Now she shoots out into tho stream, and up as far as the line will permit, and then, wheeling, drives headlong against the rock, then out and back again, now straining on the line, now striking against the rock. As soon as the second line is brought, we pass it down to him; but his attention is all taken up with liis own situation, and he docs not see that we are passing the lino to him. I stand on a projecting rock, waving my hat to gain his attention, for my voice is drowned by the roaring of the falls. Just at this moment, I see him take his knife from its sheath . ' and step forward to cut the line. ITo has evidently decided that it is better to go over with tho boat as it is, than to wait for her to be broken to pieces. As ho leans over, tho boat sheers again into tho stream, tho stem-post breaks away, and she is looso. With perfect composure B1·adley seizes tho great scull oar, places it in the stern rowlock, and pulls with all his power (and he is an athlete) to turn the bow' of the boat down stream, for ho wishes to go bow down, rather than to drift broadside on. One, two strokes he makes, aud a third just as she goes over, and the boat is fairly turned, and she go8s down almost beyond our sight, though we are moro than a lmndrod feet abovo tho river. Then she comes up again, on a great wav.e, and down and up, then |
