JOHN WESLEY POWELL IO9 



days later the courage of one of the men fails, and he leaves 

 the party. But the nature of the difficulties and the way to 

 overcome them are gradually learned ; and then all goes well 

 until the Grand Canyon is reached. But here the river turns 

 into the granite, a harder rock than had been before encountered. 

 Rapids and falls follow one another in quick succession. At 

 various places it seems all but impossible to run the rapids or 

 portage the falls. But the granite area is finally cleared in 

 safety, and in the sedimentary rocks below rapid progress is 

 made. But again the river turns into the granite ; and when a 

 set of bad rapids and falls are approached the spirits of three 

 of the men fail. They have not the sustained courage which 

 rises as difficulties and dangers increase. Thev decide to climb 

 out of the canyon rather than to continue. They remonstrate 

 with Powell and the remainder of his party, trying to prevent 

 them from continuing a course which seems to them to lead to 

 certain destruction. A second boat is abandoned, and with this 

 boat the barometers and the fossils and minerals collected. 

 The scanty almost spoiled provisions and the maps and notes — 

 records of the expedition — only are retained. Probably but 

 few fully appreciate the desperate frame of mind in which a 

 leader of Powell's scientific instinct must be before he takes 

 such a step as this. With deep misgivings, the two boats and 

 the remainder of the party, six in number, push on. Early in 

 the morning the rapids before them are successfully passed, but 

 greater difficulties are found below. In the afternoon a set of 

 rapids and falls is approached which it seems impossible to port- 

 age. There is nothing to do but to attempt to run them, with the 

 certainty that the boats will be swamped, but with the hope that 

 the air-tight compartments will bring them to the surface below 

 the falls. Such a course would seem rash to the border of mad- 

 ness, had not previous experiences shown that it was possible. 

 Both boats run over the falls, and are swamped as expected, but 

 the men cling to them and emerge in safety in the pool below. 

 The very next day they run out of the granite, and out of the 

 Grand Canyon. The expedition has achieved success. 



Many explorations are undertaken for the love of adventure 

 or personal glory, with the desire that it shall be known that the 



