Jig ao 
ANNOYING CHASMS. 183 
says Mr. Stanley, who was of the caravan, 
“the whole of which distance the river is 
bound in by cliffs several hundred feet high, 
in many places nearly perpendicular. We at 
length came to the termination of the table 
land ; but what a scene presented itself! The 
valley below could only be reached by de- 
scending a frightful cliff of from 1200 to 1500 
feet, and more or less precipitous. After a 
search of several hours, a practicable way was 
found; and, with the greatest fatigue and 
exertion, by locking wheels, holding on with 
ropes, and literally lifting the wagons down 
in rete we finally succeeded in reaching 
the bottom. 2608 How did the Canadian 
and ohne’ streams in New Mexico sink them- 
selves to such immense depths in the solid 
rock? It seems impossible that the water 
should have worn away the rock while as 
hard as in its present state. What a field of 
speculation for the geologist, in the proposi- 
tions— Were the chasms made for the streams, 
or did the streams make the chasms? Are 
they not of volcanic origin?” 
Nor are the flat prairies always free from 
this kind of annoyance to travellers. They 
are not unfrequently intersected by dinieatiio 
chasms or water-cuts, which, though some- 
times hardly a rod in width, are often from 
fifty to a hundred feet deep. These little 
canones are washed out by the rains, in their 
descent to the bordering streams, which is 
soon effected after an opening is once made 
through the surface; for though the clayey 
