TRAVELLERS SWEPT AWAY BY A FLOOD. 67 



One of the men by a supreme effort climbed up the face of 

 the rock and managed to escape by grasping a bush." * 



The man, who alone survived to tell the tale, brought 

 the melancholy intelligence to the neighbouring town, 

 and described in affecting terms the last struggles of 

 the unfortunate victims, and their piteous cries for 

 assistance before they were overwhelmed by the rag- 

 Ing waters ; an engraving representing the scene at this 

 moment is also given in Mr. Ross Brown's book. 



This tragical occurrence naturally created great ex- 

 citement and sympathy among the community at the 

 time, and relief parties were at once sent out by the 

 citizens to try and recover the bodies, or relieve anyone 

 who might still chance to be alive, but it was not till 

 some considerable time afterwards that the bodies were 

 discovered, after the subsidence of the flood, several 

 miles below the spot where the accident occurred, in 

 a condition so battered and mutilated as to be almost 

 unrecognizable. 



This anecdote conclusively shows the exceedingly 

 dangerous character of any attempt to make a passage 

 through these canons, even under the most favourable 

 circumstances ; and until regular roads are scarped out 

 in the cliffs, by engineering skill, above the possible 

 reach of floods, similar accidents will always be liable 

 to occur; but in the course of time, when this is 

 effected, the traveller of the future will doubtless be 

 enabled to penetrate, both in safety and comfort, into 

 the gloomy recesses of these great canons; and gaze 

 at his leisure, with awe-stricken wonder and admira- 

 tion, upon these mighty examples of Nature's power. 



* Adventures in the Apache Country, by J. Ross Brown, New York, 

 1869, pp. 427 and 428. 



