.- [174 J 
ing a piece of artillery, the barrel of a gun, or any kin tube ; and 
which, in this country, has been adopted to describesthe passage ofa river 
between perpendicular rocks of great height, which frequently approach 
dge was of the same decomposing — 
“the water had worked the surface, in many places, into a wavy surface of 
ridges and holes. We.ascended the rocks to reconnoitre the ground, and 
lieved would conduct him safely to the Missouri, he came unex diy into 
this cafion, where he was.wrecked, with the total loss of his furs. It would 
have been a work of great time and laborto pack our baggage across the 
_ridge, and I determined to run the cafion. We all again embarked, and at 
first attempted to check the way of the boat ; but the water swept through 
with so much violence that we narrowly escaped being swamped, and were 
obliged:to let her go in the full force of the current, and-trust to the skill of 
the boatmen. The dangerous places in this cafion. were where huge Tocks - 
had fallen from above, and- hemmed in the already narrow pass of the 
river to an open space.of three or four and five feet. _ These obstructions 
raised the water considerably above, which wassometimes precipitated over 
in a fall ; and at other places, where this dam was too high, rushed through 
ahe contracted opening with tremendous violence. Had our boat been 
made of wood, in passing the narrows she would have been staved; but 
her elasticity preserved her fi y shock, and she seemed fairly 
three cataracts in-succession, where, perhaps 100 
+ and, finally, with a shout of pleasure at 
yond. We were 
confident in her 
- In this way we 2d thre 
-.feet of smooth water intervened 
“our success, issued from our tunnel into the open day be 
lighted with the performance of* our boat, and so 
ie 
