ROCK CUT CANONS. 59 



the greatest wonders of the world. The word Canon 

 (pronounced ' Canyon' in Spanish) besides a gun-barrel, is 

 used to denote any narrow passage, such as these deep 

 gorges * which are many of them cut through solid 

 rock; their walls sometimes descending, almost verti- 

 cally, for even thousands of feet below the surface of 

 the plain ; while at the bottom a foaming torrent usually 

 dashes along the rocky bed which, constantly flowing 

 from age to age, has gradually eaten away the living 

 rock, until in the course of time these marvellous 

 channels have been excavated. 



The human atom, crawling cautiously along the upper 

 edge, and gazing into the giddy depths beneath, may 

 often see the river flowing, like a silver thread, far 

 down in the stupendous abyss and it is quite possible 

 that the traveller passing along the surface of the plain 

 above may be actually perishing from thirst in sight of 

 the swift flowing waters: indeed there can be little 

 doubt that such cases have frequently occurred. 



But ere we proceed with our narrative, let us consider 

 for a moment the lesson which these scenes of savage 

 grandeur should convey to the mind of the thoughtful 

 traveller. 



Every observer is aware that the tooth of run- 

 ning water is sharp, and cuts deeply, and yet what 

 a picture of the enormous antiquity of the earth do 

 these Canons reveal to us. Think of the uncounted 

 ages it must have taken one of these rushing 

 torrents to excavate a single example of these won- 

 derful canons! and what a marvellous illustration it 

 affords of the tremendous power possessed by running 



* See Neuman and Baretti's Spanish Dictionary. The word is 

 however of Colonial and not of Castilian origin when used in this sense. 



