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Jacob Hamblin, a narrative of his personal experience, as a frontiersman, missionary to the Indians and explorer, [microform] disclosing interpositions of Providence, severe privations, perilous situations and remarkable escapes. Fifth book of the faith-p - Page 85 |
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Show ARRIVE IN CATARACT CANYON. 83 about fifteen yards in width, with an average depth of over a foot. It was rapid and clear, and skirted with cottonwood timber, growing on rich bottom land. The bottom of Cataract Canyon, Lieut. Ives informs us, in his " Explorations of the Colorado," is 2,775 feet below the general level of the plateau above. We judged the sides of the canyon where we were, to be one- half of this distance in perpendicular hight. The first people that we met had been informed of our approach by one of our Moquis companions, whom we had sent ahead of us. While we were talking with them, others arrived from lower down the stream, who inquired rather sharply why we were there. They were soon satisfied with our explanations. We were soon engaged in interesting conversation. They had heard of me and my travels, and appeared pleased to see me. They desired that I would not lead anyone into their hiding place, and particularly a stranger, without their con-sent. They told us that the horses we had picked up belonged to the Walapies, and if we would leave them they would return them to the owners before we came back. We remained with this people one day. In going out we traveled up the main canyon. Not long previously these people had been attacked in their stronghold by a band of Indians from the south- east. They showed us a narrow pass where they had met them, and killed seven of their number. About three miles above where we first struck the stream, it boils from the bottom of the canyon in a large, beautiful spring. We found no water above this. About nine miles up the canyon above the water, we turned into a left- hand side canyon, through which it was about two miles to the country above. The trail up this canyon was very steep and difficult. The trail we came in on, and this one, are said to be the only means of getting in and out of the Cataract Canyon. From what we could learn from the Indians, we supposed the dis- |