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Show / 54 EXPLORATION OF THE CANONS OF THE COLOHADO. describe almost the figure 8. The men call it a bow-knot of river; so we name it Bow-knot Bend. The line of the figure is fourteen miles in length. There is an exquisite charm in our ride to-day down this beautiful canon. It gradually grows deeper with every mile of travel; the walls are symmetrically curved, and grandly arched; of a beautiful color, and reflected in the quiet waters in many places, so as to almost deceive the eye, and suggest the thought, to the beholder, that he is looking into profound depths. We are all in fine spirits, feel very gay, and the badinage of the men is echoed from wall to wall. Now and then we whistle, or shout, or discharge a pistd, to listen to the reverberations among the cliffs. At night we camp on the south side of the great Bow-knot, and, as we eat our supper, which is spread on the beach, we name this Labyrinth Canon. July 16.-Still we go down, on our winding way. We pass tower cliffs, then we find the river widens out for several miles, and meadows are seen on either side, between the river and the walls. We name this expansion of the river Tower Park. At two o'clock we emerge from Labyrinth Canon, and go into camp. July 1 7 .-The line which separates Labyrinth Canon from the one below is but a line, and at once, this morning, we enter another canon. rrhe water fills the entire channel, so that nowhere is there room to land. 'The walls are low, but vertical, and, as we proceed, they gradually increase in altitude. Running a couple of miles, the river changes its course many degrees, toward the east. Just here, a little stream comes in on the right, and the wall is broken down; so we land, and go out to take a view of the surrounding country. We are now down among the buttes, and in a region, the siDface of which is naked, solid rock-a beautiful red sandstone, forming a smooth, undulating pavement. The Indians call this the "Toom'-pin Tuweap' ," or "Rock Land," and sometimes the "Toom' -pin wu-near' Tu-weap' t or "Land of Standing Rock." Off to the south we see a butte, in the form of a fallen cross. It is several miles away, still it presents no inconspicuous figure on the landscape, and must be many hundreds of feet high, probably more than two thousand. We note its position on our map, and name it "The Butte of the Cross.'' We continue our journey. Iu many places tho walls, which rise from }'lgure 19.-Duttes of tbe Cross In the Toom-pln Wu-nenr' To-weap'. |
