88 NEW TEACES IN NOETH AMEEICA. 



and take some views of it. We were^ Loweverj prevented 

 by the escape of our mule, who broke away while we were 

 engaged in taking a view in one of the valleys^ and ran back 

 to camp as fast as he could. 



l^ext clay we brought back the defaulter, and pushed for- 

 ward towards the canons ; but the huge rocks and fissures 

 which blocked up the sides, and the trees and brushwood 

 which choked the passage, made our advance so difficult that 

 we were obliged to relinquish the idea of taking any views 

 of the gorgeous scenery, the sight of which amply repaid us 

 for our trouble. 



■m 



The walls of the cafiada, or little cailon, leading from our 

 camp to the river consisted, for the first three miles, of grey 

 sandstone cliffs, but below this point the grey walls began to 

 give place to lofty masses of deep red sandstone. Gradually 

 as we advanced, this formation took the place of every other 

 kind of rock. Its. texture was soft, and the hand of time 

 had honeycombed it with little caverns and holes of every 

 shape and size ; lofty spires and fantastic minarets towered 

 upward towards the sky ; while at our feet huge masses of 

 natui'c's masonry, piled up in endless confusion, barred our 

 way. With great labour we overcame these obstacles, and 

 a little farther on became entirely siuTOunded by the per- 

 pendicular walls of this bright, fiery red sandstone. 



We had come to the entrance of the Eed Kock Caiion ; and 

 never have I seen anything to equal the wonderful effect of 

 this mass of colour. There cannot be a doubt that, coming 

 unexpectedly upon this marvellous spectacle, Furgatory was 

 the instant and unvarying idea impressed upon the imagma- 

 tions of the French explorers from Louisiana who first visited 

 this spot ; for it seemed only just out of some mighty 

 fiuTiace, and looked as if, a little farther on, within the naiTow 



