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THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



end to the other. The roar of the rapid 

 was deafening. 



We took our boats over one bad group 

 of rocks, lined them down, then Hfted 

 them over a second lot. The rocks were 

 icy; there was only room for two to 

 work, and we were weak and bruised 

 with two other portages in much similar 

 places. It was with a great sigh of relief 

 that we slid our boats over this last rock, 

 completed our fourteenth and last port- 

 age, and prepared to shoot down on the 

 swift water that ended the rapid. 



Other rapids remained, but we ran 

 them all, with only a glance at them from 

 the boats. We were pulling for the end. 

 There were two more camps before we 

 emerged into the flat country. 



Many people, learning of our trip, 

 think we are entitled to a certain degree 

 of honor for having done something un- 

 usual. The trip is unusual and will 

 hardly become a popular tour ; but as for 

 honor, all honor is justly due to the one 

 who made the original exploration — 

 Major J. W. Powell. He did not know 

 what minute he would be confronted by 

 a waterfall. We knew there were none. 

 All we can say for our trip is that two 

 or three men seldom attempted anything 

 harder and got away with it. Our mo- 

 tion-picture films and plates were carried 

 through 365 big rapids, a descent of 

 nearly 6,000 feet, after having been on 

 the river loi days. We landed in Nee- 

 dles on January 18, one month from the 

 time of our start from Bright Angel trail. 



HOW SMITH GOT THROUGH 



Among some letters awaiting us wa:s 

 the following, bearing the postmark of 

 Hite, Utah : 



KoLB Brothers. 



Dear Friends : Well, I got here at last, after 

 seventeen days in Cataract Canyon. The old 



boat will still stand a little quiet water, but will 

 never stand another rapid. I certainly played 

 rings around some of those rocks in Cataract; 

 I tried every scheme I had ever heard of and 

 some that were never thought of before, but 

 got here at last. I hope the movies are good. 

 Your friend, 



Chas. Smith. 



Another from Hite stated that Smith 

 told him when he came to that last rapid 

 he had carried all his equipment over the 

 narrow ledge and w-as engaged in drop- 

 ping his boat down with the chain, stand- 

 ing on the rock above, when he was sud- 

 denly jerked off into the river. He still 

 retained his hold on the chain, pulled 

 himself into the boat, and went through 

 the entire rapid without oars and without 

 upsetting, landing a mile and quarter be- 

 low his supplies. 



My brother afterward completed the 

 trip into Mexico, to the Gulf of Cali- 

 fornia, thus making for the second time 

 a complete journey from Green River, 

 Wyoming, to the tide-water. 



We have just returned from a 600-mile 

 overland trip to the reservations of the 

 Hopi and Navajo Indians, taking in the 

 cliff ruins of Marsh Pass and our often- 

 thought-of Rainbow Natural Bridge. 



Rising from our bed under that won- 

 derful arch while the stars were yet in 

 the sky, we made our way to the river, 

 and saw a familiar turn in the wall past 

 which we had rowed with scarcely a 

 glance that morning two years before. 

 Returning in time for a late breakfast, 

 we spent a few hours in making some 

 views ; then, while the guides took the 

 horses around the base of Navajo Moun- 

 tain, we climbed the peak, sleeping under 

 the shelving rock. Guided by signal fires, 

 we rejoined our party the next day on 

 the other side of the mountain and began 

 our homeward journey over the sands of 

 the Painted Desert. 



