THE GRAND CAXYOX BRIDGE 



649 



which they call the 

 Temple of Zoroaster, 

 dominated the scene. 

 Jupiter rode high in 

 the heavens. 



Across the river lay 

 the ruins of an an- 

 cient Indian village, its 

 broken stone walls 

 strewn with prehistoric 

 pottery — coils and 

 Greek-key patterns — 

 such as are found 

 among the Mesa Verde 

 cliff-dwellings (see il- 

 lustration, page 652). 

 Perhaps it was never 

 a permanent settle- 

 ment, only a temporary 

 winter refuge of some 

 peaceful plateau tribe 

 driven down from the 

 heights by the war- 

 ring Utes. The early 

 chroniclers of the can- 

 yon did not mention 

 these Indians. 



"Who will write the 

 long-ago romances and 

 tragedies enacted with- 

 in this mighty gorge? 



A chill wind swept 

 down the canyon and I 

 crept back to my tent. 



Next morning, when 

 the 10 o'clock sun 

 looked over the cliff, 

 we crossed the river 

 in a canvas boat, row- 

 ing well upstream 

 and coming back with the current to the 

 landing beach. The boat leaked. It is 

 difficult to swim the river because of the 

 heavy sand and silt ; but in case of an 

 upset one would probably be tossed up 

 on the rocks before reaching the rapids. 



LITTLE BRIGHT ANGEL, THE BRIDGE 

 MASCOT 



We climbed the bed of Bright Angel 

 Creek, which here enters the Colorado, 

 to the clump of cottonwoods still called 

 "the Roosevelt camp." Here we dis- 

 covered the bridge mascot. Little Bright 

 Angel, a gray burro who lives in Elysian 

 Fields, with clear water, plenty of grass, 



y 



Photograph from Harriet Chalmers Adams 



THE FLYING-MACHINE. THE GRAND CANYON BRIDGE CREW 



CALLED IT 



They went clown by gravity and pulled up by hand on the other side. 



and a care-free life. We fed him pan- 

 cakes sent by the cook, his favorite dish. 



There are 113 crossings of the creek 

 on the trail up Bright Angel Canyon to 

 the north rim, and the little burro knows 

 every one of them. Xot long ago he 

 guided the foreman of the bridge-crew 

 up to the plateau, showing him just 

 where to cross the stream. 



I had heard that a distinguished 

 American from Philadelphia, an enthu- 

 siast over the Grand Canyon, was to be 

 the first to cross the Grand Canyon 

 bridge ; but the foreman told me. some- 

 what confidentially, that Little Bright 

 Angel would be the first fellow across. 



