OH, SHOOT! 



vacation would never have been written had 

 not Bill Vaughan stumbled upon us about 

 midnight and led us back to Uncle Jim's fire. 



That concluded my part of the entertain- 

 ment. I had had enough rest to do me, and 

 the strenuous business of pencil pushing called 

 me home; so the next day I left the plateau. 



I had intended to return by way of Bright 

 Angel Creek and the safe-and-sane trail to the 

 El Tovar, but Uncle Jim and Ambrose shat- 

 tered my dream by announcing that the water 

 was too high and that I must go back as I 

 had come. Thoughts of the rampageous Shi- 

 numo, of that rickety cable, of the breath- 

 taking, hair-raising features of the trail down 

 and up to Bass's Camp arose to haunt me; 

 therefore I was not ashamed when I broke 

 down and sobbed upon Fred's shoulder. Nor 

 was he unmoved at the parting. With tears in 

 his eyes, with a quiver of deep and genuine 

 emotion in his voice, he said : 



"When you get back to the hotel if you 

 do get back eat half of a chocolate cake for 

 me. I've heard it tastes fine." 



I urged him and Paul to return with me. 

 I told them they had rested long enough, and 

 I sooke feelingly of stewed chicken and dump- 



214 



