3 JOHN WESLEY POWELL. 



him where I suppose we are, and where several Mormon settle- 

 ments are situated. 



"We have another short talk about the morrow, and he lies 

 down again; but for me there is no sleep. All night long, I pace 

 up and down a little path, on a few yards of sand beach, along by 

 the river. Is it wise to go on? I go to the boats again, to look at 

 our rations. I feel satisfied that we can get over the danger im- 

 mediately before us ; what there may be below I know not. From 

 our outlook yesterday, on the cliffs, the canyon seemed to make 

 another great bend to the south, and this, from our experience 

 heretofore, means more and higher granite walls. I am not sure 

 that we can climb out of the canyon here, and, when at the top of 

 the wall, I know enough of the country to be certain that it is a 

 desert of rock and sand, between this and the nearest Mormon 

 town, which, on the most direct line, must be seventy-five miles 

 away. True, the late rains have been favorable to us, should we 

 go out, for the probabilities are that we shall find water still stand- 

 ing in holes, and, at one time, I almost conclude to leave the river. 

 But for years I have been contemplating this trip. To leave the 

 exploration unfinished, to say that there is a part of the canyon 

 which I cannot explore, having already almost accomplished it, is 

 more than I am willing to acknowledge, and I determine to go on. 



"I wake my brother, and tell him of Rowland's determination, 

 and he promises to stay with me ; then I call up Hawkins, the 

 cook, and he makes a like promise; then Sumner, and Bradley, 

 and Hall, and they all agree to go on. 



"August 28. At last daylight comes, and we have breakfast, 

 without a word being said about the future. The meal is as solemn 

 as a funeral. After breakfast, I ask the three men if they still 

 think it best to leave us. The elder Howland thinks it is, and 

 Dunn agrees with him. The younger Howland tries to persuade 

 them to go with the party, failing in which, he decides to go with 

 his brother." 



So the party is divided. Powell leaves a boat behind, for use 

 of the three men if they fail to scale the cliff, and then successfully 

 runs the rapid. Fortunately no other serious difficulty is encoun- 

 tered, and in the forenoon of the following day the two boats glide 

 at last from between the gloomy walls into the broad daylight of an 

 open valley. The weary river, as though sharing the joy and re- 

 lief of the explorers, spreads out its unhampered waters, to bask 

 and loiter in the sun. 



The adventurous voyage is ended. 



